


Tides of Fortune

by tsukithewolf



Category: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: All this water and yet these two are still so damn thirsty, Alternate Universe - Atlantis, Based on Disney's Atlantis the Lost Empire (2001), F/F, F/M, M/M, Mutual Pining, Quick-burn love, Romantic Cliches, Romantic Fluff, Some Action, The story is loosely based on the movie and is otherwise very different, You don't have to have seen the movie to understand what goes on, rating may change later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-06-09 18:44:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 50,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19481788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukithewolf/pseuds/tsukithewolf
Summary: Over three hundred years ago, the Gods grew angry with the blessed people in the Atlantean Empire and sunk their capitol city and all of her people beneath the waves of the sea. Most of the people died during the Fall, but the Queen at the time managed to save a portion of the city from utter destruction. Those who are left live in the remnants of their home, but a curse has befallen them. They are living, but no longer thriving. And with each passing year, more of Atlantis loses herself.Izuku was a child from Atlantis who had survived the Calamity, but not with the rest of his people. He was swept away, and only by a miracle he had survived. He seeks to find what happened to his home, and why the Calamity had occurred in the first placeKatsuki was one of the people who had survived in the city herself. As successor to the throne, he needs to earn his spot to take over for their dying king Toshinori. But to do that, he will need to figure out why the Gods have cursed them, and how to reverse the curse before it is too late to save anyone.[On temporary hiatus. I do plan to finish this when I actually have time!]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daily_happiness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daily_happiness/gifts).



> Welcome!  
> This AU was completely and wholly brought on because Daily [cursed us with her beautiful doodles](https://daily-happiness-11.tumblr.com/post/186037103907/me-listening-to-song-senorita-brain-hey-hey) and now my muse is going crazy. Thus, I am writing another story.  
> If you have not seen the movie, fear not! You won't have to, really. I'll be explaining more about this world and such in story. The movie is fantastic, but all you really need to see is a few clips to get a feel for the world itself.  
> This one won't be as long or as detailed as The Dangerous Game. In fact, it will move quite quickly. Expect it to be much lighter than others of my stories, but still have some seriousness to it. It will be primarily BakuDeku and I plan to have plenty of fluff and romance in it because honestly I need the palette cleanser once in a while when I'm writing stuff as dark as The Dangerous Game.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Screaming. Voices of tens of thousands of people reverberated through the air as heavy bells gonged the end. Lightning whipped through the sky and Izuku trembled where he stood. In his sights were people running back and forth. They were blurs - shadows of figures he could no longer recognize. He saw only a dark wave moving and swallowing the very sky itself. Flying fish with people riding on them darted through the air. Izuku felt terror. His tears in his eyes blurred his sight. He could not get his legs to move even as he was pulled by one adult or another. The screaming and the sounds of the bells muffled as only a roar filled his ears. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath like he had been taught before the wave could hit-

And Izuku snapped awake with a gasp of breath. His eyes found orange darkness and his lungs struggled against nothing. His mind told him he should be breathing water even as air effortlessly entered and exited his gasping mouth. He rolled over onto his side and propped himself on one elbow, heaving. It took him a few moments to get his bearings before he remembered to pull on his glasses with shaky hands and then to dig through his bag in search of his journal. He sat up in his sleeping bag and had enough presence of self to fumble with the electric lamp next to him and turn it on. The golden bulb flared to life, filling the tent with dim light enough for Izuku to see. He flipped to the latest page in his journal and added more shaky writing to it, filling in the details of his dream.

The flap to the tent pulled aside, startling Izuku as Ochako crawled in. She blinked in surprise at his jolt. “Oh, sorry. Did I scare you?”

“N-no.” Izuku lied, and then frowned at himself for the stutter. He returned his gaze to his journal and kept writing. 

“Grunkle…” The younger girl reprimanded.

Izuku gave her a small, bashful smile. “Okay, just a little bit. It’s not your fault, though. I’m still…” He waved his pen in a circle, motioning to himself and his head. Ochako crawled further into the tent and let the flap fall shut before she sat cross-legged on her sleeping bag next to his. They both had to hunch a bit in their slightly-small tent. 

“Was it a bad one?” She asked, concerned.

“It was…” Izuku didn’t really know how to describe it. It left him shaken in more ways than one. It was the first time that he had dreamt of that particularly scene so vividly. He had seen similar in his dreams before, but most had been...hazy. Forgotten almost as soon as he had woken up. It was why he had eventually started keeping record of his dreams whenever he dreamed. If he didn’t, he usually forgot about them somewhere down the road. 

“What was it this time? Did you...was it a memory or just a nightmare?” 

“Both.” He closed his pen in his journal and lifted his hand to gaze at it. He still trembled minutely. His heart rate was going down, though. He pushed his glasses up to sit on his face a bit better. There was a cold sweat dampening his skin. He looked to Ochako. “I think...I think I saw the day Atlantis fell.”

Ochako’s eyes widened. “Like, _the_ day? The Calamity?”

The sound of water filled his ears. Pressure covered his chest and threatened to consume him. His mouth opened and water rushed in to replace precious air-

Izuku shook it off. “...Yeah. I think so.” His throat closed up a little at the memory of it all.

“What happened?”

He wasn’t strong enough to talk about it yet. He buried his journal back into his bag and shook his head. “I can’t...talk about it right now.” 

“Okay.” She gave him a sympathetic smile before her usual pep was back. “Well! I’m glad you’re awake! We’re going to be packing up and setting off again soon!”

He scrambled at that thought. “Wha-What? Already? I haven’t even...I’m not even dressed yet!”

“Then hurry up!” She told him while moving to crawl back out of the tent. “You’ll want to eat quickly before Mina wakes up! You know she’ll eat all of it on her own!” 

Izuku knew that for sure. He struggled to get out of his sleeping bag and to yank on his pants. He tripped and fell against the side of his tent, yelping as he knocked the entire thing over with him and flipping all of their stuff onto him. He heard Eijirou and Ochako howl from outside at him and a muttered “Oh my God” from Touya. Izuku felt his face burn as he pulled himself from the mess and hurried to stand up, brushing himself off. He was greeted from the campfire by those who were already awake and eating.

Eijirou, Ochako, and Shouto were all eating from their metal traveling bowls and looking at him. The former two were grinning and chuckling to themselves as Izuku righted the tent and ducked his head to approach the fire. Around them the camp was coming to life as their supplies were being loaded back onto the trucks they had brought with them for travel. Touya shook the droplets of leftover gruel from his own bowl before heading over to one of the vehicles to toss it into the back. He glanced at the table where Momo was set up and looking over their map. 

“Here.” Shouto held out a bowl of breakfast for Izuku. In the orange light of the fire, the white tips and the streaks in his hair appeared to glow orange as well. It almost matched the red of the rest of his hair. “You’ll want to eat before we go.”

“Thanks, Shouto.” Izuku took it from him and gave it a distasteful grimace. It didn’t look good at all. He made sure that Eijirou couldn’t see since he had no doubt been the one to make it. Nevertheless, he began to eat. Some food was better than none, and he needed to take the hot meals where he could get it. “When are we leaving?”

“We head out in fifteen minutes!” Touya called as he shifted his rifle from his back to put into the lead vehicle. He pointed at them. “Get the others up before we go, or we leave them behind!”

“He’s in a good mood.” Ochako grumbled sarcastically.

“That’s actually him in a decent mood.” Shouto corrected, watching his elder brother move.

“I’m glad you can understand him, because I can’t.”

“Years of practice.” Eijirou said with a laugh. “How long have you been with your brother? Few hundred years?” Even as he said it, he sounded a little mystified. Izuku paused in his eating, looking towards Shouto as well. He was actually curious to hear just how old the other man was. Both of them looked to be the same age, but Izuku knew without a doubt that he was much older than Shouto. After all, Shouto was only half-Atlantean. He couldn’t be nearly as old as Izuku was.

“No, only about 114 years.” Shouto corrected.

Eijirou whistled. “That’s still a long time.”

“Not as long as Izuku’s been with our family.” Ochako said with a grin. She was bragging again, and it made Izuku give a sigh although it was with an endearing smile. “He’s been with us since my great-great grandparents!”

“I think that’s far more amazing.” Shouto admitted, looking at Izuku with admiring, dual-colored eyes. “Although you are younger than my mother.”

“Can we not talk about my age? You make me feel really old.” Izuku joked, trying to change the subject. The fact that he was the eldest amongst them still sat wrong with him. Most of the people in their camp looked to be physically around his age after all, but most of them weren’t even a quarter of the way there. His hand came up to play with the crystal hidden under his shirt in a familiar nervous habit. 

“You _are_ old.” Mina mumbled, startling Izuku as she appeared behind him. She was sleep-ruffled with her eyes half-closed. “Food for me?” She asked.

“Right here.” Eijirou held out the last bowl.

“God, I love you.” Mina dropped herself to sit down beside the man and began to eat even while looking like she wanted to pass out there. She made a face, though, as she arched and stretched with a whine. “How much longer until we’re there, do you think?”

At this, the others looked towards Izuku. Izuku said nothing as he had just filled his mouth with more food. He chewed for a moment and then swallowed. “I...think we’re getting close.” He lifted his head to look around them. The noise of the camp echoed through the gigantic stone tunnel they were in. There was the sound of water running from a stream nearby and splashing as some of the crew members went in to clean one thing or another. The air was cooler here than it had been where they had stopped last. There was a freshness to it. Izuku’s skin prickled with anticipation and fear alike. “It... _feels_ different.”

“What does it feel like?” Eijirou asked. “Like...magic or something?”

Izuku shook his head. It wasn’t like that. Whatever magic felt like...if magic was even real...Izuku didn’t think that was what he was feeling. Instead it was something that just felt right. Like his heart was beating a little stronger. That his blood was flowing just a bit steadier. That his feet were calling him home to someplace he could barely remember. He couldn’t describe the feeling to his companions.

“I just had a dream. A memory, actually. And it was so vivid. More vivid than I can remember ever having.” He looked towards the direction they were all traveling. Hope filled his chest. He was terrified at what they might come across, but he needed to know. He needed to see what his old home looked like. What remained of it. Why it had been destroyed. What had caused it. What the things in his dreams were and how many were real. He needed answers. He had been searching for them for nearly three hundred years now.

“Do you think that means we’re getting close?” Mina asked.

Instead of answering, Izuku asked, “Can you feel anything different, Shouto?”

Shouto paused for a long moment, and then shook his head. “I can’t tell anything.”

It was a long shot anyway. But that meant for sure that it wasn’t magic or anything. Izuku pressed his fingers to his crystal. He could see the faintest of glows through the cloth of his shirt. It was no brighter than it had been when they had been on the surface thousands of miles away from where they were at that moment. He couldn’t use it as the indicator for how close they were as he had been hoping. It had been too long since he had seen his crystal necklace full of light. It was as dull and dead as it had been for centuries.

“I’ll check our course with Momo.” He said, finishing his food and placing down his bowl again by the fire. “Confirm we’re still going in the right direction.” He wanted to get going as soon as possible, after all. He could feel the jitteriness in his bones. He couldn’t explain how he knew, but he could tell they were almost there. And the urge to see the home that was destroyed so long ago was an ache that had never left him. He was almost home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naturally Evra is already drawing amazing art because she spoils me so and was dragged into this hell too. Please [check out her art!](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/563703571179110400/596509643258462208/image0.png?width=439&height=702)


	2. Chapter 2

Katsuki’s bare feet were quick and sure across stone and moss as he climbed with confident steps up the side of the tower. His hand grabbed onto a ledge and he swung himself upwards. His other hand found a hanging vine and he tested it to see if it would take his weight. When he could tell it would, he began to climb it until he was at the window he was looking for. He wiggled through the small opening and into the building before standing. 

Inside was a disappointment. There were nothing but plants overtaking the architecture here as well. Small, featherless reptiles screeched at him and took flight with haste out of the window, making Katsuki duck out of the way to avoid being hit. He sighed and gave the creatures a glare before plopping down on the ground to bury a hand into his hair.

“Nothing.” He growled and picked up a loose rock to toss at the far wall. This part of the castle was unused and damaged from the time before. He had discovered the window by accident the other day and had been hoping to find _something_ inside it. More pictures and words, maybe. Something to give him another direction to go in. Instead, he had found another dead end.

His crystal around his neck glowed a vibrant blue, filling the dark room with its light enough to see. But there was really nothing to see. If there had been anything here - furniture, treasure, goods, bodies, or anything - they were long gone now. Swept away, washed away, eaten, or destroyed with the rot of time that the rest of their island seemed to be cursed with. It was bad luck, but not unusual.

Katsuki didn’t mope around for long. He climbed back to his feet and adjusted the belt over his chest so that his clothing sat a bit better. He shook a spider web from his hair, feeling the braids by his ear whipping with the movement. He brushed them away with irritation when one smacked him in the eye. He ran the same hand through his hair before he left the room he had entered. He had duties to attend to anyway.

He climbed down from the tower and landed in the shallow water of a small pond. The tiny colorful fish in it darted off as he sloshed his way through it and found his way back to one of the main paths. From there it was simple and automatic to follow familiar trails until he was at the King’s castle properly. 

He nodded once in greeting to the guards as they pushed open the doors to King Toshinori’s water-filled throne room. The King himself was half-slouched in his cloth-covered throne, hand gripping his staff as he gazed out at Katsuki’s entrance. He had originally sat a little straighter, but then relaxed when he saw who it was. Inko stood beside him, either in council or for personal reasons, but also stopped at who was given entrance. She gave Katsuki a smile. Katsuki made his way across the scattering of flat rocks in the pond to stand before Toshinori’s throne. There he kneeled on one knee, hands pressed together as he bowed his head.

“My King.” He said in greeting.

“It is just us here, boy. No need for the formalities.” Toshinori responded. Katsuki rose from his crouch and approached the throne to sit himself on the small bench near his king. “How went your search?”

“You knew about it?” Katsuki asked, surprised, before his face turned a little surly. Of course the King did. The man had men reporting sightings of him all of the time. He scowled. “How many did you have following me this time?”

“None.” Toshinori said with a huff of amusement. “I just know you. And your luck?”

“Poor as ever.” Katsuki grumbled. 

Inko moved to stand behind Katsuki and rested a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright.”

“It’s not!” Katsuki shook her hand off angrily. “It’s not alright that I can’t find _shit_! We don’t have time for me to keep failing every step of the way!”

“You will need to be lucky if you can find anything at all.” Toshinori reminded him grimly. “And our luck has been poor for centuries.”

“I _know_ that!” Katsuki ran a frustrated hand into his hair and gripped it. He forced himself to calm more as he saw Inko watching him carefully. He didn’t need another scolding from her. Even if her gaze was more sympathetic than stern this time. He took a breath and released it. “My King, we can’t afford more failures. The city is dying. Our people are dying. And I have nothing to go on but writings and pictures I can’t understand!”

“You should attempt to pray to the Gods.” Inko suggested. Katsuki’s teeth gritted and he glared at his feet. His toes curled against the stone. “I know you don’t like to, but-”

“I haven’t prayed to them in centuries,” Katsuki bit out, “and I don’t plan to start now. They’re the ones who did this to us.”

“ _We_ did this to us.” Toshinori corrected gently.

“No, _they_ are!” Katsuki swiped his hand out and stood swiftly. He didn’t want to stay there any longer. If he did, he would only snap at them more. Their arguments about the Gods only went in circles, and if Katsuki wasn’t careful then he would end up insulting the Gods further and risking their wrath. He would not bring that upon his people once more. He may be furious with the Gods, but he wasn’t fool enough to mock them out loud. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait, before you leave!” Inko stopped him. Katsuki spun back around to face her. “I’m going to be part of a hunting party. We shouldn’t be back for about a week.”

“A week?” He asked, surprised. “Why so long?” How far were they planning to travel?

“We have some reports of a nest full of adults and eggs of lava snakes nesting further away from the lava than normal. We’re going to recover some.”

Katsuki looked to Toshinori. “You’re not going to send me?”

“You’re needed here.” His King responded with some heaviness to his tone. He coughed and shifted in his seat to sit up better. Inko moved to assist, but Toshinori waved her off with a quiet, “I’m fine.” Louder, he said, “Outsiders have been spotted approaching the city by one of the outer guard. I want you to look into it.”

Katsuki’s heart began to race both from shock and excitement. Outsiders? Near their kingdom? They’d never come into contact with outsiders before. Nobody had ever found them. What kind of people were they? How did they find them? This was a turn of fate and luck Katsuki didn’t know what to do with.

“Fine.” He agreed to it readily enough. He could easily take a small scout group and go check it out. But something wasn’t sitting quite right with him. He wanted to ask Toshinori about it, but not quite yet. “Mother, when do you leave?”

“Soon.” Inko informed him with a sad smile. “I have already packed. I was coming to say good bye first.”

Katsuki sighed. “Let me walk you out in a few minutes.”

“Okay.” She understood the dismissal for what it was. She turned to the King and his successor and bowed to them both before she exited the room. Katsuki knew she would be waiting for him outside of the doors. Katsuki would have to be quick so that he didn’t miss her.

“What is it, my boy?” Toshinori beat him to it.

“Is this the first time outsiders are coming?” Katsuki asked as he turned to his king again.

Toshinori was silent for a moment, “...It depends on when you mean.”

“Since our Fall.”

“Then yes.”

“And before?” Katsuki hesitated just a bit to ask it.

“I was alive long before you were even born, my boy.” Toshinori reminded him. “I remember assisting our queen with greeting all sorts of guests during the height of our empire. I have met with outsiders before, although my memories of them are not what they used to be.”

“And you’re wary of them?” Why else would he send Katsuki to look into the outsiders rather than to greet them? They were treating them like threats.

Toshinori sighed deeply and pulled himself to his feet. He leaned a little heavily on his staff at first before he was able to support himself on his own. He walked down the steps of his throne and to the pond to gaze upon it. His reflection gazed up at him from the water. He was a mere shadow of the man and father Katsuki had grown up with most of his life. Now he was frail in body, though his spirit was as strong as ever. Katsuki joined the man to stand by him and gaze upon his own reflection as well. Their white hair reflected the hazy blue light shining from what they called the moon far above. The open-air throne room allowed for the light to shine in. Katsuki tried to remember what his hair color used to be, but couldn’t. 

“People have somehow managed to find us. There would be a reason for traveling this far. They come with strange machines and most likely ill-will. We are more likely to be found by treasure hunters first. They are the most persistent of explorers.” The King explained.

Katsuki scoffed. “Treasure hunting.”

“I am serious.”

“How would they even find us? If _we_ have been forgetting ourselves and our culture, I’m sure those still loved by the Gods are experiencing worse.” 

“As I said, persistent.”

Katsuki said nothing and only glared at himself. Why travel all of this way for treasure, though? What sort of treasure? Gold and silver and jewels would likely be easier to find somewhere else. What else could they be looking for?

Toshinori’s hand fell on Katsuki’s shoulder and squeezed. “Go look into it for me. And let us pray that we have some luck today.”

Katsuki said nothing and only nodded as he left his King then, walking across the stone pads to the other side of the pond. There he paused and glanced back at Toshinori once more before bowing and exiting. Inko was waiting for him, finishing her talk with one of the guards. She smiled in greeting and waited. Katsuki held out his arm to her automatically, and she wrapped her own arms around it to walk with him. She was shorter than him by about two heads now, so it made walking like this a bit weird. That didn’t stop either of them from a habit born over many years.

“What troubles you?” Inko asked.

“The outsiders.” Katsuki confessed with a mutter. “Our King claims to remember outsiders here before, but I can’t remember. Do you?”

“I know we have, but I can barely remember it myself. I was hardly there during those times anyway.” Her eyes were sad and a little amused as she looked towards Katsuki. “I was too busy raising my son. Just as your mother and father were.”

Katsuki swallowed at the mention of his parents. They were people he couldn’t remember anymore. His memories of them were long gone, stolen by the rot that the Gods had punished Katsuki’s people with. He regretted bringing up the topic now, wondering if Inko suffered the same problem with the family she too had lost during the Fall. Of the son she spoke adoringly of but who Katsuki couldn’t remember even though he did remember being around Inko’s family before.

Inko must have sensed his dislike of the topic, but she only let out a soft laugh before bringing them both to a stop. She held onto Katsuki’s arm with one hand as they faced each other and her second hand reached up to cup his jaw. Her thumb skated across the blue tattoos that adorned that side of his face. “You look just like her, you know.”

“I know.” Katsuki said, uncomfortable.

“Mitsuki always said you would grow up to look like her. Poor Masaru barely got any of himself in you.” She laughed again and dropped her hand. Her eyes watered, which made Katsuki’s jaw clench. This is what he had wanted to avoid. He hated when Inko cried, although she did so often. She wiped her eyes. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Even if my memories are faint, I can still remember how I feel about them. I wish you had been old enough to remember as well.”

Katsuki said nothing in response to that. There were many things that he wished that he could remember from the time before their Fall, but he had been nothing but a child then. That day he had been lucky to have already been close to the castle because his family had lived in the higher end of the neighborhood. Katsuki couldn’t remember what he had been doing that day the bells had begun to gong and the roaring of water had filled his ears. The day Queen Nana had saved who she could, but at the cost of almost everyone else. The day that he lost his parents, and Inko had lost her family. He was lucky she had survived. He was luckier that she had taken him in after everything, even while knowing he would be a constant reminder of everything they both had lost.

“Come.” He finally said after a long moment. “You have to go, and so do I. I need to gather a scouting group. You’ll be fine?”

“I’ve dealt with lava snakes before. Don’t worry about me.” Inko had become plump in her age, but Katsuki knew she could still be quick on her feet. It still concerned him that Inko was being sent, though. But their people had withered over the decades and now there was a limited number of people who could find the time to do these types of exercises. It said a lot that Toshinori wanted Katsuki to go with a scout group rather than on a hunting trip.

They came to their crossroads. Inko stood on her tiptoes and pulled Katsuki down by his neck. He tilted his head and allowed her to place a kiss on his forehead. Her crystal shined brighter where it was close to his, and Katsuki felt his heart warm. He would never say it out loud, though. 

“Be safe, my son. I will be home soon.”

“I’m sure our King is worrying for nothing.” Katsuki reassured her. “I will talk to these outsiders.”

“Be diplomatic.” She told him with a wry, teasing smile.

“I’m diplomatic as hell.” Katsuki responded with a huff before turning to leave her then. Her laugh filled his ears and memories threatened to surface in his brain before they were washed under again by the tide, forgotten instantly. Katsuki set his sights instead on searching for his scouting group. They would have to move quickly. He wanted to meet these outsiders soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha definitely skipped forward in this one.

Izuku woke to the sounds of voices speaking in hushed tones. At first he wasn’t concerned by the voices as he tried to get his bearings and remember everything. There were the fireflies that had set their camp ablaze and then there was a fight with some beasts. Izuku had rushed about and had attempted to put the fire out with everyone else, but he had gotten lost somewhere along the way where he had been attacked by the beasts. He had injured himself too, his leg bearing a long tear on it that throbbed. It was still warm. He remembered falling after the injury and had only stayed conscious long enough to see his wound before he had passed out. 

Now his head throbbed. He assumed that the voices were his companions who had finally found him. He groaned a little and shifted.

“He’s awake.” The voice was actually unfamiliar. 

“Who is it?”

“Look at his coloring. People can look like that?”

“I had forgotten you are so young.”

“You-”

Izuku felt his glasses pushed up on his face. Something hard tapped the glass and his eyes opened. His vision was blurry before the glasses were dropped down to rest in their proper place. It was only then that Izuku saw the horrible faces of more beasts. He gasped and pressed himself backwards, and the monsters jumped back a little as well. Three of the four of them brandished their spears at him. Izuku gulped at the sharp stone that was pressed to his nose threateningly. The beasts were not beasts at all, but rather people wearing large wooden masks that spanned most of their bodies. The lines carved into them and around the eye holes seemed to glow with a familiar light blue light, forming faces on the wood. Fur and vines decorated the different masks, further hiding the people under them. 

“Who are you?” It was a male voice. The tone was rough and the words were unmistakably _not_ the language Izuku's companions spoke. Izuku gaped a little as his ears and heart recognized the words, but he couldn’t bring himself to form a response. His chest ached with ancient nostalgia as he recognized Atlantean as it was spoken, but couldn’t believe he was hearing it so fluently. He had become used to his own broken and half-remembered attempts to speak his mother tongue and had only heard it spoken badly by his own family and friends.

“Speak!” The voice commanded again.

“Can he even understand us?” Another - a woman - muttered doubtfully.

“I…” Izuku began, but his head swam and he shifted his legs under him. He hissed as his leg reminded him of his wound and he grabbed it. He looked down at it and his hand came away with blood. It wasn’t great. Not deep, but still oozing blood. It would hurt to walk for sure.

The first person - the leader, Izuku supposed, considering the others hung back to protect them - leaned forward then. He lifted the mask up and away from his face until it rested on his back. Izuku’s breath caught at the sight of the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Blood red eyes greeted him as his stark white hair reflected the glowing blue light of the crystal hanging from his neck. His hair was naturally spiky and roughly cut, with the exception of the close buzz from the underside of his hair. Two small twin braids hung by his left ear, the hair longer there than anywhere else. His eyes were mistrustful and wary. Izuku couldn’t help the way he stared, taking in the dark skin that matched his own and the beautiful light blue tattoos on his cheek and arm. 

The man kept an eye on Izuku as he pulled his necklace from around his head to hold in his hand. It looked just like Izuku’s own - proof that this was an Atlantean in front of him - but it glowed vibrantly compared to Izuku’s. It filled the area around them with light as he brushed the tip of the glowing crystal over Izuku’s wound. Electricity danced up Izuku’s skin. The Atlantean then gripped the crystal tightly in his hand before switching it to his non-dominant hand. He quickly pressed the first hand to Izuku’s wound.

Izuku hissed at the touch, but then gasped as warmth flooded his body. The hand touching him glowed with the same light as the crystal, and the pain faded from Izuku’s leg. The man pulled his hand away, but the light lingered as the wound closed up as if it had never been there. The light faded away, leaving Izuku’s leg whole and hale again.

“What…?” Izuku whispered with awe. He had never known the crystals could heal. All of his years and he had never thought to try it. He doubted he would be able to do it with his own.

He looked back towards the man and his gasp caught in his throat to see the man in his face. Izuku felt his breath on his skin and felt his own cheeks heat in response. His eyes were narrowed as they skimmed over Izuku, sizing him up. Izuku saw he was only wearing some kind of belted cloth across his chest and a skirt of sorts. He had a golden band around his bicep and a golden beaded bracelet around one wrist. Golden earrings hung from his earlobes. Izuku resisted the urge to reach out and touch him.

“What language are you speaking?” The man muttered, half to himself as he suspected Izuku couldn’t understand.

“I-” Izuku tried to say when a rumble cut them all off. The Atlanteans’ heads shot up and looked behind them as rock wall crumbled away and Izuku recognized the sound of the drill his group had been using to get through the caves. Before Izuku could say anything more, the Atlantean man pulled his mask back down over his face and the four of them ran off. 

“Hey, wait!” Izuku cried, turning to stumble up after them. He watched as they skipped and jump with ease up and over rocks and stone pillars. Izuku had to hurry to match their smooth pace, legs kicking as he scrambled up them and tried to follow their path. He kept them in his sights as he threw himself across gaps, but lost them as they all turned a corner and disappeared. Izuku darted out after them, throwing aside hanging vines to appear into light and fresh air. “Where’d you go?” He called, but his voice trailed off as the roar of waterfalls filled his ears. 

He stood on an outcropping of rock covered with moss and grass. Far below was a river of lava, that was hot enough to warm the air but far away enough not to burn. In front of him his eyes took in the gorgeous sight of a circle of waterfalls with water running endlessly over them and down into the lava. Steam hissed and rose into the air, filling the atmosphere with humidity that made Izuku’s clothes stick to his skin. His eyes followed the waterfalls up and into the circle of them where a lake of water bigger than any body of water he had ever seen outside of an ocean greeted him. Towers and buildings and architecture was scattered across the lake, but more and more appeared as his eyes traveled towards the center until he could see a city and a castle proper. Bridges connected the lake over the lava to the caves where Izuku stood, but the nearest bridge was miles away from where he stood. He felt like his legs might give out on him. He barely noticed as rocks flew through the air behind him as the drill finally broke through and came to a stop.

“Izuku!” Eijirou called, and multiple footsteps ran towards him. “We were looking...for...you…” Eijirou’s voice trailed off with awe as he and Ochako appeared on either of Izuku’s sides. He sensed more than saw the others follow in behind them.

“It’s _beautiful_ …” Momo whispered, stepping forward to look out at everything.

“Just look at this place!” Mina added. “Look at the bridges! The lava! And look up!” Izuku did so and really did feel his legs give out as he realized they were below the sea. He could see water moving above, but it was clouded by the steam rising in the air. Pale moonlight shined down from above, somehow reaching them all. Izuku wanted to reach up and touch it, although it was far, far too high to ever reach.

Soft thumps alerted all of them, and the group spun around then to see the Atlanteans from before. Their spears were pointed once again at them, although the first man didn’t have his spear up. He kept it at rest beside him like a staff as he motioned and spoke,

“Who are all of you? And what are you doing here?”

“Whoa…” Touya muttered as Shouto helped Izuku climb slowly back to his feet. Touya’s hand reached and rested on his gun at his hip, but didn’t take it out yet. “You catch any of that, nerd?”

“Uh, yeah, I…” Izuku understood it all. He was amazed at his own ability to recognize his mother tongue, but he struggled to find the words to repeat them back. He closed his eyes and spoke slowly in Atlantean, his nerves messing him up all the more as he said, “We’re...safe. We won’t harm anyone!”

The Atlanteans paused with surprise. Izuku’s eyes popped open to watch them. Their spears hovered still, but there was a hesitance to them. The leader of the group lifted his mask up again, and Izuku heard some of his group gasp as they saw him. The man narrowed his eyes in confusion and mistrust still.

“You can understand us?” He demanded.

“Yes!” Izuku responded. “I’m...uh...it’s hard to speak, though. Very rusty.”

“Rusty…” The man repeated to himself, looking down as he tested the word in the context Izuku had used it. It was then that Izuku realized that might not be a phrase the Atlanteans would understand. The man’s eyes snapped back to Izuku, “If you could understand before, why didn’t you say anything? And how do you know our language in the first place, outsider?”

“What is he saying, Izuku?” Ochako whispered to him.

“Are they still threatening us?” Momo added.

“Amazing.” Shouto murmured. “I can actually understand a bit.”

“Me too!” Eijirou added, looking excited.

“Shh!” Mina hissed at all of them.

Izuku tried to ignore them and remember his words. He couldn’t exactly say he had been too shocked to see living people down here. He had thought everyone else had died in the Calamity. But to see them alive…

“Again, I can’t...speak it as well as I used to.” Izuku told him. Then he started to shift the language, curiously. He knew that Atlantean shared root languages with multiple languages. He wondered how much the Atlanteans would understand as he tried, “Can you understand me?”

The man frowned, but spoke back in the same language, “Yes.”

Izuku switched to another, excited, “And now?”

“How many languages do you speak?” The man asked, following him to this new language as well.

“And what about this?”

“Yes, dammit, I can!”

“Hey, I actually understood that one!” Mina cried with joy.

“Amazing!” Izuku said, spinning on group. “I had known that the roots were shared but the fact that he can understand and respond-”

“Okay, we get it nerd!” Touya pushed Izuku aside and stepped forward. Izuku stumbled and glared a little at the rough treatment as the man said, “Greetings! We come from the surface! We mean you no harm!”

“Oh my god, this guy.” Mina muttered under her breath. 

“Welcome!” One of the other Atlanteans called, and all of them pulled off their masks and lowered their spears. Izuku was stunned to see that all of them had the same looks at the first man did with their tattoos, outfits, and white hair. That...that wasn’t right, though? Izuku could remember from his dreams many different colors and people. So why did they all have white hair? At least their eyes were different. 

“My name’s Denki!” The third Atlantean said, stepping forward around his leader excitedly. There was a broad grin on his face. “Welcome to the city of Atlantis!”

“We found it!” Ochako finally said, hopping up and down next to Izuku. She grabbed his arm. “We finally found it!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you!” Momo said as she stepped forward. The others allowed her to take the lead as she was the one who had officially funded the expedition. “My name is Momo Yaoyorozu. This is my crew. We’ve come to seek the lost city of Atlantis. But...we never expected to find people actually _living_ down here.”

“How _did_ you find us?” The second Atlantean asked as she gave them all a confused frown. 

“Research!” Izuku explained. “There’s a lot of information about the city that has been mostly lost with time, but there are books and stories still written down! We were able to-”

“Wait.” The first Atlantean finally interrupted, holding up his hand. He was clearly the most serious of the group. His eyes were a little hard as he gave his team a glare that made them all back up with apologetic bows of their heads. He was definitely the leader then. He looked back to Izuku’s crew, “This isn’t a discussion to have here. Come. You must meet with our King.”

“The King…” Izuku breathed. Did they have a king before? He couldn’t remember.

“Well then,” Touya said, motioning with his hands, “Lead the way.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evra and Daily are out there already drawing so many good pictures for this story because they're caught in this hell with me but I can't share them yet because they're either still WIPs or they're spoilers *sobs*

“I can barely believe it!” Izuku said as their truck rattled along behind the walking Atlanteans. He felt like he was vibrating, and it wasn’t even from the truck itself. Nor was it from the nervousness as they all crossed over the rope bridge on heavy vehicles over the lava. “They’re  _ alive _ . They’re all still alive! And the language was just as complicated as I had expected! I mean, this is an amazing discovery!” He leaned out of the window to look better at the backs of the Atlanteans. They carried their masks with them rather than wearing them. They seemed to be talking amongst each other while glancing back once in a while to check on their visitors.

“Careful.” Shouto warned at Izuku’s wiggling when they hit a rougher bump that nearly sent Izuku tumbling. Ochako grabbed the back of his coat and hauled him back into the truck. Izuku’s heart raced and he adjusted his glasses, giving them a thankful smile.

“After all this time, I didn’t expect us to find people down here!” Ochako said, leaning forward to look at the architecture as they got closer. Unfamiliar beasts flew through the air, but nothing like the fish Izuku had seen in his dreams. It was like dinosaurs hadn’t gone completely extinct here. Fish and crustaceans of sizes far larger than Izuku had ever seen flipped through the water as they reached land on the other side of the lava. His skin prickled. He was home.

“It’s unbelievable they could have survived. The way mother had described it…” Shouto murmured.

“Nobody should have survived.” Izuku agreed. “Yet, your mother did. And I did. And something...Something saved the city. The blessing of the Gods, maybe?”

“No, I doubt that.” Shouto shook his head. “Mother was convinced the Gods were the ones who had brought the Calamity down upon them in the first place.”

Izuku didn’t respond to that, looking down at himself. Maybe Shouto’s mother was right. Most of the readings he had done had claimed that the Atlanteans had been sunk due to angering the Gods. But none of those people had truly been there. They couldn’t know for sure.

He looked up. But the King might know. How long had the King been on the throne, after all? How had he survived? Izuku’s stories told him that there was a power source in Atlantis, and one that had been made use of by the previous kings and queens. The power source for the city? He didn’t know for sure. The descriptions were vague. Maybe that was what had saved the city before.

The group traveled deeper into the city, and Izuku took in everything. There was a sinking, confused feeling in his gut. Nothing looked familiar. Not exactly, anyway. Some statues and the way they were cut triggered memories, but he recognized none of them. It was clear which parts were older sections of the city from before the Calamity judging by the material used to build them. They were dark with age and rot. Many were falling apart, or weathered with age. The newer buildings had more wood to them, and what appeared to be bones from larger sea-dwelling creatures. The closer they came to the city proper, the more people they began to see and the more wood buildings they saw.

Warm fires lit up walkways and the homes of the Atlanteans. Izuku stared at them as they stared at their caravan as they passed. Just like the scouting group who had found them, all of them had the same dark skin, white hair, and light blue tattoos. Even the children did. Every single one of them had a brightly glowing crystal around their necks. They whispered and pointed, but they didn’t appear to be scared. The children ran by the trucks and called greetings that Izuku called back. A few ran up to the people leading them. The leader of the scouting group scooped one child up who had hopped at him, making the little boy squeal with delight. Some kind of large, four-eyed lizard creature bounded next to them, barking. The man tossed the boy onto the beast and the two took off shouting happily. 

Izuku found himself smiling at the warm welcome. He could see the thriving life of the people around them. The way the family units moved together. Food was bought and sold at the market they passed. How late must it be for them? Or did they not sleep during normal hours? Izuku found himself understanding the language more and more as he listened and his heart remembered. He just wished that he could speak it back better.

“Halt.” The leader of the scouting group finally called, and Shouto brought their truck to a stop. Izuku and Ochako were already climbing out as their second truck - the only other one they had brought with them into Atlantis because all other equipment would be too heavy - pulled up behind Shouto’s truck. Momo, Touya, Eijirou, and Mina climbed out of the second truck and joined them at the front while the rest of the crew hung back a little. The leading Atlantean looked upon them all before turning towards Izuku. “Which among you is the leader?”

“Ah, um,” Izuku stuttered and tried desperately to form words on his tongue. The man had spoken in Atlantean. Why? Just for Izuku to respond? He didn’t know. “Not me. It is, um, many. Leaders?”

The man sighed with irritation and switched languages back so that everyone could understand him, “You speak and understand multiple languages, but you stutter like a child in Atlantean.” He shook his head, and Izuku’s face burned with embarrassment. The man addressed the others then, “You have multiple leaders? We won’t bring all of you to meet our King. Who will represent you?”

“There are four of us.” Shouto said, motioning to his brother and Momo. “We financed the trip, so I guess we’re the leaders of it.”

The leader raised his eyebrow. “And the fourth?”

“Izuku.” Momo said. “He deserves to be here.” Izuku gave her a grateful look. He wasn’t sure if he should speak up and beg to come as well to meet the King. He was not the leader for sure, but he didn’t want to miss this opportunity. He gave the Atlantean a tentatively hopeful look, bowing his head a little to show deference.

The leader of the scouting troop gave him another searching look. He seemed almost startled and kept staring at Izuku too much. He didn’t know what was so fascinating about him. Nevertheless the man said, “Fine. Follow me, then.” He turned and moved towards the guarded doors. The scouting troop did not follow them.

“Good luck!” Ochako whispered as they went, and the door opened before them. Izuku gaped at the room they were to meet the King in. There was a large, open pond right in the middle of the room. To get to the other side, people needed to use the flat stones scattered about on the water. Izuku couldn’t see a particular pattern to them from where he was standing. Beside him he heard Momo whisper, “Wow!”

On the far end of the throne room sat a skinny man with sharp features. He was the oldest person Izuku had seen here yet, with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. His hands and feet appeared too large for him, and the cloth of his robes shrouded his entire form. He held in his hand a long staff littered with Atlantean runes. Yet there was a sharpness to his blue eyes that reflected the piercing light of his own crystal necklace and seemed to make his eyes glow as he watched them approach. Old he may have been, but Izuku felt the strength of the man. He sat straight in his cloth-covered throne and waited as they approached.

The leading Atlantean came to a stop on the platform at the bottom of some stairs leading up to the King. There, he knelt on one knee and bowed his head over his hands that he pressed together as if in prayer. “My King.” He greeted.

Izuku moved quickly to follow his example, and Momo followed him. Shouto hesitated before copying, but Touya stayed standing almost defiantly, although his face was more amused than anything. Izuku gave him an irritated look.

“Katsuki.” The King greeted back, and finally Izuku knew the name of the man.

“I’ve brought the outsiders you sent me to look into.” Katsuki said, speaking only in Atlantean to his King. “They claim to be here on a peaceful mission.”

“Is that so? And what is that?” The King asked, half-addressing the others.

Katsuki turned his head to look at them and switched languages to demand, “Why have you come here?”

“I-If I may?” Izuku asked, looking first to the King and then to his companions for permission. Momo nodded with a smile for him to go ahead, and Izuku scooted forward on his knees to stay kneeling before the king before addressing him, “Your majesty, my name is Izuku. My companions’ names are Momo, Shouto, and Touya.” He motioned to each in turn, and they nodded at their introduction. “We’ve come from far away on the surface mostly for my benefit. I am the one who found you with their help.”

“And who are you?” The King asked. He motioned with his hand, and Katsuki stood up before moving to stand beside his King. Izuku stayed kneeling. He struggled to find his words for a different reason. His throat was dry. He wished he could drink some water very quickly, but he couldn’t. He needed to speak now. They had come this far, and he would not let his nerves hold him back.

“Your majesty...my King…” He corrected in Atlantean, lifting his head and pulling his necklace out from under his shirt. He saw both the King’s and Katsuki’s eyes widen at the sight of it, “I am one of you.”

“How is that possible?” Katsuki demanded, stepping forward. “Where did you get that crystal?!”

“Katsuki.” The King held out his arm for the man to step back. Katsuki did so, but his gaze was conflicted and angry. “Izuku, come here.” The man said instead. Izuku rose and gave his companions a nervous look. Momo’s eyes darted between Katsuki and Izuku, but both Shouto and Touya looked unconcerned. Izuku approached the King and attempted to kneel again, but the man shook his head and held out his hand.

“I can’t!” Izuku responded with alarm, instantly knowing what the man wanted. He hadn’t taken off his crystal in decades. The only time he had taken it off was to replace the cord it was on. He clutched it in his fist, terrified what would happen if he lost it.

“Lean forward, then.” The King said, his voice understanding. Izuku got the vibe that this man wasn’t as severe as he looked. He trusted him and released his crystal and leaned forward for the man to touch it. It still glowed very faintly in comparison to any of the other crystals in the kingdom. He was almost a little embarrassed by it.

“Why is it so faint?” Katsuki asked as he leaned forward to examine the crystal as well. “Is it fake?”

“No, it is quite real.” The King breathed, sounding a little stunned. His eyes met Izuku’s and really looked at him. “Where did you come from, my boy?”

Izuku leaned back and his hand gripped his crystal again. His eyes threatened to water from his overwhelming emotions, but he did not cry. “I was born here.” He said, voice choking on his words. Atlantean came more naturally to him the less he thought about it. “I survived the...the Calamity. The wave, it swept me away. By miracle of the Gods I survived and some surface fishermen found me-”

“‘The Calamity’?” Katsuki interrupted.

“The catastrophe that sunk Atlantis.” Izuku explained, looking at the man before his eyes darted away. He was too nervous to look at him directly for very long. “The books and my research refer to it as the Calamity. That’s what I’ve been calling it.”

“We call it the Fall.” 

“The Fall.” Izuku repeated back, but he didn’t know why they would refer to it as that. Because of the way the city had sunk beneath the waves?

The King hefted himself to his feet then. Izuku scrambled backwards a little as the King stood to his full height. Izuku gawked a little. The man was at least a head taller than Izuku was. He was taller than anyone Izuku had ever known. Their eyes met and Izuku trembled just a bit, feeling nothing of his three hundred-something years and feeling instead like a child. The King reached forward and pulled Izuku into a hug then, and Izuku gasped with shock.

“My boy,” the King whispered, “you are home.”

Izuku’s eyes did tear up then. He could feel the warmth of the King’s crystal. The scent of the ocean and the humid freshness of the plants around them. He felt the material of cloth he had forgotten the sensation of against his skin. And he let out a soft sob as he hugged the King back because he was finally home after all this time. After so many years, his home and his people still existed. And Izuku wanted to drown in it forever.


	5. Chapter 5

Katsuki’s eyes trailed over the outsider as Toshinori hugged him. His outfit was unusual and he wore round glass over his eyes. His crystal was hidden between their bodies. The proof that he was truly an Atlantean, unless he had somehow stolen it. But where could he had gotten it from? And why did it glow so faintly? Katsuki couldn’t say for sure that he trusted this man or the words he said, but he did trust Toshinori. He would hesitantly believe that this man wasn’t lying, but he would not be completely fooled.

Izuku pulled back from Toshinori first and sniffed, lifting the weird accessory he wore to wipe at his eyes. Katsuki felt his chest ache with a familiar pang like he got whenever Inko cried as well. This man looked a lot like her with the exception of those freckles and his hair color. But his eyes and facial shape was so similar to hers. He didn’t want the man to cry. He felt uncomfortable seeing it, and he scowled. 

“That’s all well and good,” the outsider Touya called then in his strange language, “nice hug and all, but what the hell is even going on?”

“Oh!” Izuku sniffed again, turning his admiring gaze from Toshinori to instead face his group, “S-Sorry!” He wiped at his cheeks too to say in their language, “I was just, uh, explaining why we’re here.” He turned back to Toshinori and Katsuki. “It’s not just me! I was born here, but both Touya and Shouto wanted to see the city as well. Their mother was like me and had survived. They are half-Atlantean.” 

The man known as Shouto stepped forward then. Katsuki noted that at least some of this man’s hair was white, same with his brother. Was that because of the curse? Or was that natural? Shouto then pulled out a crystal of his own, taking it off from over his head. Katsuki’s eyes sharpened as he saw that this crystal was also glowing with a faint light. Toshinori motioned for Shouto to approach and held out his hand. Katsuki knew then that this man really wasn’t a native because of how easily he handed over his crystal.

“This was our mother’s.” Shouto explained as he placed the crystal in Toshinori’s hand. “She gave it to me before we set off on this expedition.”

“This is bullshit!” Katsuki interrupted, startling all of them. He scowled while pointing at the crystals of the outsiders. “You may have crystal necklaces, but there should be no reason why they’re glowing so faintly!” Toshinori hummed, but it was contemplative. Doubtful. Katsuki gave him a disbelieving look. 

“B-But it’s true!” Izuku cried, motioning widely with one hand while the other pressed to his chest. “I...I can remember some of my time living here! I...I remember the day of the Calamity...the Fall!”

“What happened, then?” Katsuki demanded. “What could you know that might not be in your...research?” He motioned to Izuku with a flick of his hand. He had mentioned his research, after all.

“There was a light.” Izuku whispered, and everyone around them froze. “It...The bells were ringing...and the wave was rushing at us…” He began to shake a little. His eyes were wide with terror behind his eyewear. “And before the wave hit me...there was a light from near the castle. The ground had been shaking and a blue light…” He stopped, choked off. Katsuki felt his chest compress with the memories he also still had of that day. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and then shook his head. “And then I don’t know.” He finished. “I had closed my eyes. And then I was gone.”

Katsuki continued to stare at the man. He could see the very real trauma on his face from the memories. He had seen it enough on his people before. The older ones who had been around during that time. It was something that couldn’t just be faked without a lot of acting. And there was no point in acting, really. 

“Katsuki, that’s enough.” Toshinori finally said. He looked out towards their guests and handed Shouto back his necklace. “You and your crew must be tired. I know I am. Let us all rest. We can talk again in the morning.” He looked back towards Katsuki. “There are a few rooms we can spare in the old quarter. Lead them to it and I will ask that dinner be provided.”

“That’s not necessary!” Momo said quickly before clearing her throat. She rose to her feet and said, “We have tents. We can-”

Toshinori held up his hand to silence her. “I insist. I don’t know how many we can fit, but the rooms are yours.”

Momo looked conflicted, but eventually bowed her head. The rest of the group followed her lead and bowed as well in thanks. Izuku added, “Thank you, my King.” 

Katsuki felt some appreciation that Izuku had already switched to calling Toshinori by his proper title. It put him in a decent enough mood that he said, “Come. I’ll take you to the chambers.” He already knew which rooms Toshinori was referring to. Not far from Katsuki’s own chambers, they used to house visiting dignitaries according to Toshinori himself when he had been first teaching Katsuki. It made Katsuki a little uncomfortable to put these outsiders there, but he supposed it wasn’t like they got visitors often anyway.

A few minutes were spent regathering the outsiders and letting them explain the situation. They made arrangements where a couple of the people from the trucks would go back to the group left behind and tell them of the fact they would be staying for a little bit. It was obvious that only a few people would be able to fit into the rooms once Katsuki had told them how many were available and how large they were.

One by one they were led to their rooms to set up with their supplies. The last one to leave was Izuku himself, who had kept giving up the offered room to some other person. Katsuki had said nothing, leading the way by the light of his necklace. Beside him Izuku kept muttering to himself. It was never loud enough to be understood, but definitely loud enough to grate. Katsuki gritted his teeth and tried to remember Inko’s words about being diplomatic.

“Here.” Katsuki stopped at the final open room. He pushed the door open to reveal a bed, but most of the rest of the furniture had been affected by the rot. The stone dresser was cracked and threatened to break from one solid hit. The carpet on the floor was tattered around the edges and fraying inwards. The wooden bedframe looked aged, but Katsuki knew it was sturdy enough. The blankets were thin enough to allow airflow, but thick enough to keep someone warm if they were cold. The windows were nothing but holes in the side of the room, granting the beautiful view of Atlantis. Lights decorated the pathways and homes. Most were still lit because it was decently early. Fireflies flitted through the air and luminescent frogs and butterflies glowed from the tree leaves. The heavy scent of burning wood was present just under the Evening Glory flowers blooming in the gardens outside.

“Wow…” Izuku breathed as he entered the room and lowered his backpack to look outside. He said nothing about the appearance of the room. “It’s  _ beautiful _ .”

“Yeah.” Katsuki agreed, following him. His eyes were not on the familiar view, though, and instead on the curious being next to him. Katsuki wanted to reach out and touch the man’s strange, curly hair. It was as green as the trees and the grass, but as dark as the deepest of caves in the shadows. Even here in the darkness, Katsuki’s white hair seemed to be bright despite it not glowing. His eyes trailed over Izuku’s clothes too. They covered almost all parts of his skin. Was he not hot?

Izuku’s eyes met his eyes. His cheeks darkened and he ducked his head as his fingers fidgeted together. Katsuki’s heart rate picked up and he swallowed. He wondered how that blush would look on Izuku in the daylight. He found his palms sweating a bit more than usual, and frowned at his own reaction in confusion. 

He decided to find something to say instead and glanced towards Izuku’s stuff. “You only have a single bag?” 

“Oh! Uh, yeah. Unfortunately.” His Atlantean was still rough, but he was getting better at it. Katsuki could hear it in the way his tongue moved that it really was natural to him. The accent was too similar to Katsuki’s own, but there were definitely some differences. The effect of living in a foreign land for no doubt many years. “We...We found these bugs...and they formed this fire column-”

“The fireflies.” Katsuki said.

Izuku looked surprised, and then let out a little laugh. Katsuki found himself staring, seeing the grin that spread across Izuku’s face with his laugh. He laughed with his full body, although his hand came up to partially block his mouth. Hiding his smile. He had a cute laugh, Katsuki thought. 

“What’s so funny?” He demanded, voice a bit rougher as he felt a little bit of heat in his own cheeks. He scratched at his neck.

“I called them fireflies too. It’s a little on the nose.” Izuku said, his smile becoming shyer. But he met Katsuki’s eyes a bit more.

Katsuki frowned, confused. “What does that mean?”

“Oh. It’s a phrase. It, um, it means that the name is pretty much exactly what the thing is?” His voice squeaked a little at the end and he groaned before dropping his face into his hands. He muttered under his breath, “I sound like an idiot.”

“You do.” Katsuki agreed. Izuku’s head shot up, horrified. Katsuki grinned crookedly at him and reached forward to give into the urge and ruffled Izuku’s hair once. Izuku’s cheeks darkened again, staring as Katsuki pushed his head down a little roughly and stepped away, lifting his hand as a goodbye. “Good night, nerd.”

“Wa-Wait!” Izuku cried, and a hand wrapped over Katsuki’s bicep. He paused and looked at the hand, and then at Izuku. Izuku dropped his grip quickly and stuttered out in rough Atlantean, “D-Do...Can, uh, can you...show me around? Tomorrow, I mean? I...Is that presumptuous? Oh Gods, I’m sorry, you’re probably busy...bu-but I would appreciate it! I mean, I could-”

“Holy shit, shut the fuck up.” Katsuki said, his patience reaching its end. Izuku’s mouth snapped shut and even in the blue light he seemed to pale and shrink. Katsuki’s stomach twisted. He was quick to rectify it and said, “You don’t have to ramble on like a fool. I’ll show you around tomorrow.” He paused and actively worked to soften his voice because Inko always told him he came off too rough when he was irritated. He didn’t want to leave Izuku with that kind of impression of him. “Get some rest, and we’ll spend the day together. I want to talk to you about some things as well.”

“Th-The entire day?” Izuku asked, sounding surprised.

“Yeah.” He looked Izuku up and down once more. “You’ll want to wear lighter clothes too.” He turned away again and left the room with a call of, “Sleep well.”

“Good night, Katsuki.” Izuku’s voice followed behind him softly. And Katsuki tried to ignore how much he liked how his name sounded on the man’s lips and in his strange mixed accent. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone else say "Falling in love at the speed of a Disney movie"? No? Just me? Oh well :3


	6. Chapter 6

Izuku awoke slowly from a sleep filled with vague images of swirling colors and half-remembered faces. The last thing he recalled with more clarity was Katsuki’s face gazing at him softly like he had caught him last night. The very thought made Izuku squeeze his eyes shut again and curl in on himself to hide the goofy grin that spread across his lips. His heart was already racing in his chest at the thought of dreaming of the mysterious Atlantean who had brought them into Atlantis. There was just something so alluring about the other man, although he seemed to be a bit rough around the edges. His sharp red eyes and his snow white hair made him stand out dramatically in Izuku’s mind. He had thought that the man might be an albino of sorts until he had seen that apparently _all_ Atlanteans shared the white hair. Although everything else about them was as varied as Izuku vaguely remembered.

His eyes opened and he stared out of his open window. It was a lot brighter out, but not nearly as bright as it would be in full sunlight. Everything had a bluish tint to it caused by the ocean far above them. But it was faint enough to leave the true colors of the land around them open. Izuku crawled out of his bed (and Gods, how wonderful it was to sleep in a bed again! It had been a little too soft, but it had been the best sleep Izuku’d had in nearly a month) and pulled on his glasses as he padded on bare feet to the window to sit upon the sill. It was deep enough that he could easily fit his entire bottom onto it. He brought his legs up too and relaxed back against the side of the window.

The view was breathtaking. He could see boats sailing out on the water and could hear voices on the wind. Izuku’s curls gently blew around his face and he closed his eyes against the sensation. The air was cool from the water. The constant hum of the waterfalls vibrated the air. He looked up to see those same strange birds (dinosaurs?) he had run into before flying over head. Hummingbirds hovered over flowers Izuku had never seen before - or at least couldn’t remember - and lizards as long as his feet skittered through the undergrowth of the garden outside of his window.

His heart positively ached both from being too full and overwhelmed, but also from the deep sadness that pervaded his soul. His hand came up to grip his crystal as he tried to search for something - anything - that was familiar to him. The architecture and the statues and the boats...all of it was familiar and yet so different. There was an...age to the entirety of Atlantis that had not been part of Izuku’s memories. He felt like he had discovered a lost temple in a rainforest rather than a thriving civilization. When he touched the stone, he felt like it was positively ancient. But even after three hundred years his city shouldn’t look like this, should it? Moss and plants seemed to be slowly taking over the stone. He had noticed it while they had traveled inside.

And what was wrong with Izuku’s crystal? He opened his hand and looked at the necklace. It left a faint glow on Izuku’s hand that he knew was not from the sunlight above. In the darkness Katsuki’s necklace had glowed enough to be almost a flashlight. Izuku’s, when he was alone, barely showed up in the dark. Katsuki had asked why it was so faint, but Izuku had never considered it before. Was his necklace supposed to glow like that as well? But Shouto’s mother’s necklace was the same as his. It was an aspect of the mystery Izuku had never considered before.

There was a flash of movement as something fell right in front of Izuku, and he let out a little yelp of shock at the soft thud. He fell backwards on his seat and nearly hit the ground were it not for a hand grabbing the front of his shirt to catch him. Izuku’s chest heaved as he stared wide-eyed at Katsuki giving him a look that seemed torn between amused and irritated at Izuku’s reaction. He had caught himself from toppling forward as well by bracing his hand on the side of the window.

“Ka-Katsuki!” Izuku gasped.

“Jeez, nerd, you scare easily or something?” Katsuki pulled him back up to sit properly on the seat. Izuku adjusted himself with burning cheeks, tugging his shirt to fix it. 

“I don’t usually!” Izuku denied, and tried to figure out where Katsuki had picked up the word “nerd” for him. Did he even know what it meant? That was doubtful. Nickname? “But most people don’t just drop from the sky!”

“I didn’t drop from the sky. Just from the ledge over there.” Katsuki motioned upwards to the window frame with his chin. Izuku leaned past him to look at it. It was only a story above him, but that was still decent jump. 

“Was it necessary to land in front of me?” Izuku asked.

Katsuki sounded smug and amused at the same time, “You were awake. So I came to pick you up.” He looked Izuku over. “Are you coming in that?” There was something like confusion and distaste in his tone of voice. Izuku felt embarrassment as he looked himself over quickly. He was just in a tank top and his underwear. He quickly got up off of the ledge.

“N-No! I, uh, I’m gonna- oh Gods. Um-!” He practically stumbled over his feet and landed face first on the bed as he threw himself at his bag. He dug through it and cursed that all of his clothes were worn and a little torn. None of them were particularly nice for going out in. He had to settle on pulling on a pair of pants and going for his socks. Katsuki said to wear something lighter, so he would just stick to his tank top. 

“There.” He finally said, standing once his boots were on. Katsuki only looked even more baffled now, making an expression that screamed that he thought Izuku was thick in the head or something. “What?” Izuku asked, hating how self-conscious he was. He was over 300 years old, for the Gods’ sake! He shouldn’t be this self-conscious just because he was around a hot guy!

Katsuki just shook his head. “Outsiders have strange outfits.” He paused and then looked at Izuku’s shoes. “And footwear.”

“It’s to protect our feet.” Izuku went ahead and climbed out of the window to stand with Katsuki in the grass. 

“It’ll make it harder for you to climb. You want to wear footwear?” Katsuki’s eyes met his, and there was an intensity to them that made Izuku shiver. “Do you not want to remember what it is like to be Atlantean?”

Izuku bit his lip and lowered his gaze. After a moment, he nodded and then moved to take off his shoes again. He tossed them and his socks back inside before realizing that he had forgotten something. “Oh! Wait a moment.” He jumped back into his window. He dug around in his bag until he found his spare notebook and pocketed into one of the many pockets in his pants. Then he added a pen. Lastly he ripped out a sheet of paper from one more notebook before he wrote a quick note explaining for anyone who came to look for him that he went out exploring with Katsuki. Hopefully that would be enough that they wouldn’t worry about him.

He turned around and gasped as he came chest to chest, face to face with Katsuki. The man was apparently hovering right behind him, reading over his shoulder. Izuku cleared his throat and stepped backwards a step to put at least a little space between them, but his legs hit the bed. Katsuki didn’t seem to have the same issue as him as his eyes kept skimming Izuku’s face. Izuku tried to block himself from that heavy gaze with his arm as he said,

“U-Um, why? Why were you…”

“Just looking at your writing system.” Katsuki said, moving past Izuku to pick up the note. He flipped it this way and that. “Your parchment is very thin.”

“It’s paper.” Izuku explained, lowering his arms. “I was leaving a note for my company. I expect at least Ochako will look for me.”

“Who?” Katsuki asked, dropping the note back onto the bed. He was already moving back towards the window. Izuku followed after him. The grass felt cool from the morning dew against his feet. It was a foreign sensation to him. He was used to wearing shoes nearly all of the time now. He rarely went outside without them. 

“My Griece. Uh, grand niece.” He quickly corrected himself as he followed Katsuki down through the garden. He took in the sight of the different flora and startled at the little mammals that looked similar to rabbits but were the size of mice that darted into the vines. “Well, actually she’s my great-great grandniece.”

Katsuki’s movements - smooth, up until that point - stuttered a little. He glanced at Izuku with an unreadable expression. “...You’re married? Had children?”

“What?!” Izuku squawked, and then realized how it might have sounded. He shook his head a little too quickly, waving his hands in front of him. “N-No! We’re not related by blood!” He hurried to walk next to Katsuki and fidgeted with his crystal. “She’s...I was adopted into her family after I was found on the surface. Her family took me in long before she was born. I’ve been with them since.”

Katsuki glanced at the ground and paused them as they came to a river that cut through the pathway. He backed up a little before getting a running start and grabbing a low vine. He used it to swing across and land smoothly on the other side. He raised a challenging eyebrow to Izuku and dropped the vine so it swung back towards him. Izuku caught it and looked at Katsuki with wide eyes before he felt determination fill him. He backed up as well and then ran to swing across as well. He grinned at the momentum he got and let go so he flew onto the other side, landing on his feet in a bit of a crouch. Not as graceful as Katsuki, but not bad for someone who didn’t usually do that sort of thing. He stood to his full height, proud.

Katsuki’s eyes softened a little, a small crooked smile appearing on his lips before it was gone. He motioned with his head to keep following as ground became stone pathways. Izuku glanced behind him to see they had left the garden and the hill and they were walking away from the castle. Around them were tall buildings and more people began to appear. They kept greeting Katsuki as they passed by. Izuku noticed there were many gaps in the stone where it had worn away or the earth had broken through. He occasionally slid on a bit of moss, but the ground was walk-worn enough that he didn’t need to worry about it too much. Sometimes the stone disappeared entirely to make way for dirt pathways.

“Nerd.” Izuku startled out of his assessment to see Katsuki giving him a look. That wasn’t the first time he had called him, then.

“You know that’s not my name, right?” His Atlantean was becoming better, Izuku realized. His tongue fell back onto words he remembered speaking for years. It felt good to speak like this again. Natural. Even if he hadn’t had a conversation with another native speaker in many years. Not since meeting Shouto’s mother, Rei. 

“Nerd?” Katsuki questioned. “Yeah, I heard your name.”

“‘Nerd’ is actually a bit of an insult.”

“It suits you.”

“You don’t even know what it means!” 

“I don’t have to.” Katsuki said with a cocky grin. He looked Izuku up and down and leaned a little into his face as he said slowly, “It...suits...you.” 

Izuku scratched at his cheek and then brought his hand up in an attempt to hide his blush, eyes darting to the side so he couldn’t see Katsuki’s smirking face. He hated that it didn’t sound like an insult on Katsuki’s lips. It wasn’t even that cute of a name! Ugh, he was a disaster!

“We-Well it’s not my name! It’s Izuku!” He dropped his hand and tried to stand up for himself. “Calling me a nerd is an insult!”

“Does it bother you that much?” Katsuki asked, ducking under the hanging cloth from someone’s laundry. Izuku dodged around it too. 

“I...I like my name.” He said a little lamely.

“Izuku.”

Izuku’s face was definitely on fire now. He hadn’t heard his name said in his native accent in a long time either. He longed to hear it more.

Katsuki’s eyes met his. Izuku’s eyes darted away again. He didn’t miss the flash of teeth in Katsuki’s smile as he turned away and said in a pleased tone, “Izuku, then.”

_I’m so fucked._ Izuku thought to himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if there are any mistakes. I edited quickly on this one.


	7. Chapter 7

The stone was sturdy and strong under Katsuki’s fingers and feet as he let out a little grunt from climbing. He could hear Izuku just below him moving at a slower pace, but still keeping up. He glanced down at his companion and saw the determined and focused look on his face as he watched where Katsuki moved and then followed after him. His muscles bulged under his top, which Katsuki could see down from his angle. Katsuki had to force himself to turn his face upwards and keep climbing so as to not get distracted by the colorful man below him. Despite wanting to just watch how he moved.

He had learned a number of things about Izuku in the short time they had been together. For one thing, Izuku flustered easily. He was stunning when his dark cheeks turned a rosy hue and he would bite his lip. Sometimes he would cover his face either partially or entirely with his hand or arm, which Katsuki also thought was cute. Even while embarrassed, his eyes would dart to Katsuki’s and meet them. And his tongue would stumble over his words in a way that was borderline annoying and endearing. Katsuki didn’t know if during those times he wanted to snap at him to shut up or kiss him to make him shut up. Katsuki was still trying to calm down from his whirlwind of realizing just how quickly he had become attracted to this strange being near him. 

But it wasn’t just how adorable Izuku was. He had a surprising backbone to him that Katsuki found himself fascinated with. Although Katsuki had not said his challenges aloud, Izuku always followed him up on them. Swinging across the stream rather than walking through it, standing up for himself when Katsuki was calling him a nerd (which Katsuki actually didn’t know was an insult but he had liked how it had rolled off his tongue and how Izuku had responded to it fairly quickly. But he rather liked how Izuku reacted to his own name a lot better), and now the fact that they were climbing one of the many very tall stone statues. Izuku hadn’t even hesitated when Katsuki had stopped them at the feet of the male-looking statue and had started climbing. He had only glanced around them curiously before following after him. He was even keeping up rather easily. Clearly Izuku wasn’t just someone who did research. His body was built too, even though not as much as Katsuki’s was. He was a different type of strong. 

“You said you were adopted into what’s-her-face’s family?” Katsuki asked after a few minutes as his mind danced around and caressed the image of Izuku’s arms and reveled in Izuku’s bright red face and the embarrassed pout he had worn earlier. If he was grinning a little to himself, Izuku couldn’t see anyway since he was ahead of him. 

“Ochako.” Izuku said, grunting a little with strain as he hefted himself up. His legs scrambled behind him, so Katsuki grabbed the back of the man’s shirt and assisted him. Izuku pushed his eyewear up on his face and gave Katsuki a thankful smile as they both landed on a ledge of the statue’s “hat”. He huffed and wiped at the sweat on his face. “And yeah, I was.”

“How?” Katsuki asked and decided not to let either of them have a break yet. They were nearly to the top. He climbed back to his feet and got moving again. Izuku didn’t even complain as he followed after him.

“It’s...kind of an old memory for me.” Izuku admitted. “I don’t remember much after the wave hit me. Just...feeling like I was drowning.” Katsuki said nothing. The smile was gone from his face now as he listened closely. “I think I almost did. But there were these...fishermen who pulled me out of the sea. Revived me.”

“Revived you?” Katsuki asked.

“They got the water out of me. Got me breathing again. And I remember waking up coughing.” There was a wry grin to his voice. Katsuki looked down at him. Izuku’s gaze appeared to be a little far off. It seemed more pained than amused. “I vomited a lot of water. Ended up crying for a long time. I was really disoriented and confused.”

“For good fucking reason.” 

“Yeah. I kept passing out, so a lot of it was really a blur for me.” They reached the top of the statue then. Katsuki held a hand out and Izuku took it so the two of them could stand together on the flat surface at the top. Katsuki gazed out at the familiar sight of Atlantis sprawling from all sides around them. The castle was easy to spot behind them because it stood so far above everything else. Most of the city was nothing but water and boats were needed to get from place to place. Katsuki could see the collapsed walkways that now served as bridges that ended nowhere because they had broken away. The water was clear enough that he could see some remnants of the lower parts of the city deep beneath the shadowy waters of their lake. Even after nearly two hundred years, Katsuki had yet to find much down there even though he knew the answers he sought were most likely there. 

He turned his gaze away from the lake as his heart began to grow heavy again. Instead, he looked to Izuku to watch how his expression transformed as he took in everything. The sight lifted Katsuki’s spirits with the slow pull of the smile that transformed into a grin on Izuku’s face. His green eyes glittered with joy as he turned steadily in place to view everything. He came to a stop as he faced Katsuki, and Katsuki schooled his expression from the soft, sappy look he had been feeling there.

“It’s so…” Izuku began, but his voice choked off. To Katsuki’s horror, the man started to cry a little. Katsuki scratched at the back of his neck and looked away as Izuku took off his eyewear and wiped at his eyes with a laugh. “Sorry. I don’t mean to cry. Just…” He put his eyewear back on, and Katsuki turned back to face him. Izuku’s head was turned to look out over Atlantis again, “I had never thought I would see this place again.”

“Did you think it destroyed?” Katsuki asked as he sat down on the statue. His legs hung over the edge. Izuku lowered himself down a bit slower. They ended up closer than expected, but Katsuki wasn’t going to say anything. He couldn’t stop watching the way Izuku’s dark hair caught the sunlight and shone green. Katsuki had almost forgotten that hair could be anything other than white. 

“Yes?” Izuku sighed. “No. I don’t know. I just didn’t expect anyone to have survived.” He met Katsuki’s eyes and for once he didn’t look away. He studied Katsuki with a sense of awe about him. “By the time I had come to, I had thought I was the only survivor of the Calamity. I had tried to tell the fishermen what had happened to me, but they hadn’t understood me. I understood them well enough, at least, to get my bearings. Eventually I was adopted into Ochako’s family after being put into an orphanage for a while.” 

He looked down at his hands. Katsuki did not interrupt him as he let the man ramble, “Did you know that other people don’t live as long as we do? The other people on the surface, I mean.”

“They don’t?” Katsuki tried to remember why that was. He felt like he used to know. 

Izuku shook his head. “The Gods favored us Atlanteans. That’s why we have longer lives than the other mortals.” Katsuki scoffed. Izuku added, “...At least, that’s how the stories go.”

“Stories?” Now that he thought about it, how  _ did _ Izuku find them? What stories was he talking about? He grabbed Izuku’s arm and startled the man, who looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you telling me the surface people know stories about us?!”

“N-Not exactly!” Izuku said quickly, shaking his head. Katsuki released his arm slowly with a frown. “It’s...There are  _ stories _ . History, kind of. Written accounts of Atlantis from long ago before the Calamity.” Izuku explained, “But most of it is just...gone. People don’t remember Atlantis even though it wasn’t that long ago. When I was younger and I had brought it up, some people could recall it but didn’t seem overly concerned with the fact that it was gone. But as the years went by, they just started to...forget. I only really had books and such to work with, but by the time I had thought to do so I was nearly 100 and a long time had passed for the other mortals.”

“The rot.” Katsuki spat out, frustrated. So it really hadn’t been just them. Even the people on the surface were forgetting them. They were becoming nothing but notes in a history book. Forgotten with time. Time that was moving far too fast because of the fact that Gods hated them. 

“What is that?” Izuku asked, now frowning as well. Katsuki dug his hands into the material of his skirt and clenched it. He wanted to curse the Gods again. They were trying to kill them off slowly. And most of them were content to let it happen, but not Katsuki. He refused.

“It’s the fucking curse!” He hit his fist against the stone next to them. “The curse from the Gods! It’s destroying us!”

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked with alarm.

“Look around!” Katsuki snapped at him and motioned to Atlantis. “Look at everything! It’s only been three hundred years! Look at how our city is falling apart! Look at  _ us _ !” He pulled at his braids to show Izuku, “Do you think I was  _ born _ with this hair? That all of us have naturally white hair when  _ you _ , a native, don’t have white hair? It’s all part of the damn curse!” 

“Is this all part of the Calamity? The Fall?” He whispered, horrified.

“I don’t know.” Katsuki grumbled, running a hand through his hair. “Not for sure, anyway. I just know they’re connected.” He looked out across Atlantis and then towards the castle. “The reason why the Gods tried to destroy us...how we survived...why the rot is occurring...I don’t know the reasons behind them. If we ever knew, we had forgotten it with time much in the same way the surface people have. That, and most of our history and culture has been lost to us.”

“How?”

“Drowned.” Katsuki motioned to the water. “And forgotten. We are not a thriving culture, Izuku. Each year we lose a little more of ourselves - our culture, our history, and our brothers and sisters. Our birth rates are low - always have been - and our mortality rate is high for many reasons.” His voice was soft with the ache in his chest. The resignation that threatened to drag him under. He fought against it every day. He had still not given up hope.

Izuku said nothing for a long moment. Katsuki did not look at him to see what kind of expression he might be making. He saw the man’s head turn from the corner of his eye, looking around. Then a hand fell on top of his and Katsuki startled enough to face Izuku. The man’s eyes gleamed with sympathy and his own determination.

“We won’t let that happen. I came back to Atlantis not only to reconcile with my past, but to find out what had happened to cause this. What the light was that I saw that day and why the Calamity had occurred in the first place.” He squeezed Katsuki’s hand. “And if that means finding out what the rot is as well, I hope you’ll help me. I’ll need someone who knows this place better than me.”

Katsuki stared at Izuku for a long moment before he squeezed Izuku’s hand back and nodded once. “Then let’s get going. There’s a lot more to Atlantis to see, and I’m sure you’re hungry. I have some places I want to show you. We can talk as we walk.”


	8. Chapter 8

Izuku was in awe of Atlantis. It was nothing like he remembered, but then again he had come to realize that he remembered very little of Atlantis. He no longer knew how much of it was because his memory was bad (or...rotting?) or because of the fact that Atlantis had changed so much. Izuku didn’t want to believe that three hundred years could affect the city so much, but Katsuki’s explanation of some kind of curse over the place made things clearer for Izuku. He asked for more details about what Katsuki knew about the thing he referred to as “the rot”.

“I don’t remember exactly when it had started.” He said when the two of them had gotten some food and had hidden themselves away from the bustle of the city on some boulders looking out over a part of the lake. Izuku ended up rolling up his pants legs as the humidity and the day became warmer as time moved on. Katsuki used his strange string utensil effortlessly as he pulled noodles up to his mouth and ate while talking, “Maybe it was when I was still young. Maybe it started later. It’s hard to pinpoint it.”

Izuku struggled with his own meal. He couldn’t quite figure out how Katsuki could wrap the wire string around the thick, slippery noodles. He ended up placing it aside and just using his hands. Katsuki gave him a side-eye, but didn’t comment. Izuku was too hungry to care and the food was too delicious. It had a surprisingly earthy flavor beneath the shellfish broth. “But you think the curse came when you were younger?”

“It would have to. The rot doesn’t spread quickly enough to have been any later than that.” Katsuki licked at his thumb. Izuku was distracted by the movement. He had to force his eyes back to his own meal, pushing his glasses back up on his face with the heel of his hand. Ochako would tease him to the high heavens if she saw how foolish he was being. It may have been a very, _very_ long time since Izuku had been with someone, but he couldn’t believe how attracted he had become to Katsuki in such a short time. He blamed the exposed skin and that crooked, smug smile of his. It just hit far too many notes in Izuku.

“Are you paying attention?” Katsuki snapped at him, and Izuku’s back snapped straight in response as he yelped, “Yes!” Katsuki narrowed his eyes at him. Izuku’s cheeks burned. He avoided Katsuki’s gaze. He caught the twist of the same crooked, smug smile he had just been thinking about as it formed on Katsuki’s lips and he leaned closer to Izuku. “Really.” The man said with all the satisfaction of someone who already knew the answer.

“Th-The rot.” Izuku tried to steer the conversation back on track. He looked to Katsuki and found the man’s red eyes sparkling with amusement even as he sobered up a little. Izuku wanted to pursue this because he was fascinated to see where it would lead, but he felt there were definitely more pressing issues. “What all does it affect?”

Katsuki slipped a shellfish into his mouth and ate the meat straight from the shell. Izuku watched him with fascination as the man crunched down on the shell and then spat it out into the bushes. “I’ve noticed it on many things. The buildings, our people, and our culture. The buildings are obvious,” he motioned around them to the age. The crumbling of stone structures that Izuku knew should be able to last longer, “but the culture and people are more subtle.”

“Except the hair.” Izuku clarified. “Everyone has white hair. Is it from age?”

“No. I don’t remember when it happened. I remember knowing my hair color used to be different...but I can no longer remember what it was or when.” He scowled down at his food in frustration.

“It affects your memories too. And the memories of everyone.” Izuku added softly. He could remember the way Atlantis had just seemed to fade from peoples’ memories. Like it had never been there. So few actually still remembered it. Some people had assumed it was a myth. How could it have become so in such a short time? Such a mighty empire?

“Apparently.” Katsuki paused, and then looked at Izuku. “Except...you.”

“What?” He asked, startled.

“You. Your hair…” He reached up and gently pinched one of Izuku’s curls between his thumb and forefinger. Izuku looked at his black-green curls as well, “It’s still its natural color, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Izuku said.

“But your crystal is so faint.” Katsuki dropped his hand and instead reached out to touch Izuku’s crystal. Izuku lifted his head just a little bit as his heart beat just a bit harder in his chest. Katsuki’s eyes were completely focused on the crystal. He didn’t say anything for a beat before his eyes found Izuku’s. “Are you actually Atlantean?”

“I am!” Izuku said quickly, kind of offended and hurt at the accusation. He pulled away from Katsuki to frown at him. “Is it not obvious at this point?”

“There are many things that are wrong about you.” Katsuki pointed out, studying him. It seemed only a little bit like an accusation. Izuku tried to figure Katsuki out. One moment he was flirting with him, and the next he was accusing him of lying. If he was trying to endear himself to Izuku, it definitely wasn’t working. But Izuku wasn’t going to get angry. He would rather just have Katsuki trust him. 

“How can I prove what I say?”

Katsuki set down his now-empty bowl and thought for a moment. Izuku hurried to finish his own food worried that they were about to start off again. He drank down the broth as Katsuki considered him and said, “Our tattoos.”

Izuku swallowed his mouthful and placed the now-empty bowl inside of Katsuki’s. “The tattoos?” He looked at the tattoo on Katsuki’s cheek and arm. “Oh! Of course!” He grinned in memory of it. “Our proof of belonging!”

“Where are yours? Every child has at least one. Unless you were too young?” 

Izuku shook his head. “I have one on my back and on my ankle.” He shifted his leg to show off his bare ankle. Katsuki leaned forward to see the small, triangular blue symbol on Izuku’s ankle. These types of designs had no meaning, Izuku knew, but the placement was important. He couldn’t remember why he had gotten one on his ankle. He suspected it was because he had been scared as a child. He remembered holding another child’s hand when he had first gotten it. 

Katsuki reached forward to run his fingers over the ink. It felt a little bizarre. Izuku wasn’t used to anyone touching his skin there. It was usually covered by his boots or pants. The man pressed a little bit harder on it before he pulled back. He seemed even more confused now, frowning deeply.

“It’s real.”

“I know.” Izuku agreed.

“But if it’s real, then why haven’t you been affected by the rot like we have?” Katsuki demanded, sounding frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair and hopped off of the boulder. “If you are like us and were here when Atlantis Fell, then why is it that you are affected differently? Just because you were not here as the rot began to infect everyone more? It doesn’t make any Godsdamned sense!”

Izuku grabbed the bowls and hopped off of the boulder as well. “It _has_ affected me, though!” He denied as his hand found Katsuki’s arm and stopped him from gripping his hair too much. The man paused and then dropped his arms.

“Yeah, I fucking know. The memory thing-”

“It’s not just that!” Izuku shook his head. “My memory has been fading, yes, but it’s just as you said too! Look at my crystal. It’s barely even glowing! Yet all of yours are still just as bright as I remember. You can even _heal_ with your crystals! I’ve never seen that before! I didn’t even know you could _do_ that! Mine hasn’t been able to do anything!”

“How do you not know you can do that?” Katsuki asked, sounding baffled. “All children are aware.”

“But when did you learn it?”

Katsuki paused. He frowned and tried to think, but only became more frustrated. He shook his head with disgust. “I can’t remember.” 

“And why do these crystals glow in the first place? Why do we have longer lives than everyone else? Why are we cursed? What had caused the Calamity? These are things that I have come here to learn, Katsuki. And answers that you seek as well, right?” Izuku gave Katsuki an imploring look. 

Katsuki gazed down at Izuku and said nothing. Izuku watched as his eyes moved across Izuku’s face. Izuku took a step closer to him so that they were nearly chest-to-chest again and said, “We’re going to figure this out.”

“Yeah.” Katsuki finally murmured. “I can’t stand it. I can’t...I can’t possibly hope to help our King if I...I need to prove myself.”

“Prove yourself?” Izuku asked.

Katsuki dropped his head onto Izuku’s forehead. His eyes were closed, so he didn’t see how Izuku’s eyes widened. He didn’t respond for a moment and just sighed at whatever thought was in his mind. Izuku became acutely aware of just how close they were standing and debated if he should move away. But he could tell he was comforting Katsuki by being there. 

When Katsuki’s eyes opened, he looked calmer and steadier. His nose brushed against Izuku’s as he shifted slightly, moving his arm so that Izuku’s hand dropped away. He caught it and held it. “You’ve done research.” Katsuki murmured, and Izuku’s eyes fell to Katsuki’s lips. “What all have you-”

A loud bark of laughter startled both of them, and Izuku jumped away as if shocked. The fronds of a bush rustled and through it came the familiar faces of some of Izuku’s friends, as well as the scouting group that had been with Katsuki the day before. They all looked startled to see Izuku and Katsuki.

“Grunkle!” Ochako called, breaking away from Shouto’s side as she hurried to Izuku. “There you are! We saw your note but you never said when you were going to be back!”

“Oh, sorry.” Izuku smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. His heart was thundering in his chest. “What are you guys doing here?”

“I don’t know.” One of the scout group members - a man with hair a little on the longer side and a knowing, teasing grin on his face as he stared Katsuki down, “What were _you_ guys doing?”

“Fucking Dunceface. None of your damn business” Katsuki growled in Atlantean, making what looked to be a rude gesture that had the males of the scout group laughing. Izuku tried not to look directly at Ochako as she quickly picked up on the implications. 

“We, uh, just finished eating!” He explained quickly. “You guys are fast friends, huh?”

“You too.” Mina pointed out wryly. Izuku wanted to bury his face into his hands.

“Well come on, then!” Eijirou threw an arm around both Izuku and Katsuki. Katsuki scowled and attempted to shove Eijirou off, but Eijirou had always been as immovable as a stone with his affection. “Denki and the others were just showing us to a restaurant as well! You guys can have dessert or something!”

Izuku glanced to Katsuki, who looked displeased with this turn of events, but couldn’t find it in himself to turn down his friends’ offer. “Yeah. Sure!” 

Katsuki shot him an irritated look as well, but didn’t protest as the others cheered and the two of them were dragged along.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I like writing: Izuku and Katsuki constantly flirting with each other. 
> 
> I promise we'll circle around to the plot again soon.

If Katsuki was honest with himself - and he tended to be because why the fuck would he lie to himself? - he zoned out of most of the conversation that had occurred while everyone was eating and talking. He had focused long enough really to learn the names of all of Izuku’s companions - or relearn them in the case of Momo - before he had decided he really wouldn’t rather be there. He wanted to go back to just talking to Izuku and showing him around. He had liked being the one to put that wide-eyed marvelous look on his face. He wanted to learn how the other man ticked, and it wasn’t as much fun while they were surrounded by background characters.

Well, Katsuki couldn’t completely say that. He did have some fun while they were all chatting. He got to eat one of his favorite sweets while watching the way Izuku had smiled and laughed as he met with new people. Unlike Katsuki he was definitely a people-person. He liked meeting new people and sharing stories with them. He was expressive in everything that he did, and Katsuki couldn’t help but like him even more for it. It made him want to steal Izuku away every time he smiled at something someone or another said. Sometimes the man’s green eyes would dart to Katsuki and his smile would soften a bit before he would return to the conversation. It made Katsuki groan and want to hit his head on the wall behind him. He both hated and loved just how much he wanted Izuku. More than once he found his mind drifting into fantasies of pushing Izuku down and kissing his stupid, giggly mouth.  _ Especially _ when he would bite his bottom lip. He wanted to bite it for him. That might shut him up for a little bit. Or make him louder. Katsuki wasn’t sure which idea he liked more.

“You’re not really a talker, are you?”

“Hah?” Katsuki demanded, unwillingly snapped out of his daydreams to see the girl - Ochako - gazing up at Katsuki as their group was walking back through the town. She was a good head and a half shorter than him. She was dressed even more peculiarly than Izuku was with legwear that came up and over her shoulders in straps in a material Katsuki hadn’t seen before. She also was wearing what looked to be a soft hat with a bill on it. Her skin was lighter than Katsuki’s and all Atlanteans’ skin, which was surprising to him until he remembered that it wasn’t completely unusual. However, she had dark black smudges on her face and exposed skin. Her gloves were darkened with the same black smudge. He didn’t know what it was.

“You’ve been hanging out with Grunkle Izuku all day, but have you just been quiet the entire time?” Ochako tilted her head a little. Though her tone was open and curious, her eyes held something intelligent and hidden in them. Katsuki had come to learn when people were digging for answers from him, and this child - for that was what she essentially was to him - would not pull one over on him.

“‘Course not.” Katsuki muttered watching as Izuku talked with Denki, Hanta, Mina, and Eijirou. The five got along well with their similarly cheerful personalities. Momo and Kyouka seemed to be off in their own world talking about an instrument that one of them must have bought from a vendor in town. The Half-Atlantean Shouto was by them listening in, but he glanced back occasionally to look at Katsuki and Ochako. Katsuki raised his eyebrow as Shouto’s eyes met his and then darted away quickly. Katsuki narrowed his eyes a tiny bit. 

“Oh, so you do talk!” Ochako replied cheerfully. Katsuki gritted his teeth a little. He kind of hated that he knew the names of all of the people around him. He remembered when he was younger he would immediately ignore or forget the names of the people he had met and instead had remembered them by some characteristic of their personality or appearance. Toshinori and Inko had both made him unlearn that habit both for the sake of being a nicer person and because he was the successor to the throne. That didn’t mean that Katsuki didn’t hate it some days. 

He didn’t respond to her because it was irritating how cheerful she was. He nodded as he was greeted by his people when they passed them. Izuku watched with curious eyes. 

She continued anyway, unbothered by his silence, “I was wondering who would just go and kidnap my Grunkle so early in the morning, but I should’ve suspected you right away! I would’ve said something, but then we were brought away by your friends.”

“We’re hardly friends.”

“They said you would say that.” She laughed. Katsuki glared at Hanta because he knew that he was the one who had probably said it. Hanta sneezed hard enough to make Izuku and Denki jump, and that made Katsuki’s lips twitch in a smile. Ochako leaned forward to look at Katsuki’s face as they left stone to step onto a dirt path that led down to some of the docks. “...You know you have to be nice to me if you’re going to make my Grunkle like you.”

Katsuki scowled at her. “I don’t need to do shit that I don’t want to.”

“But he’ll like you more if I like you.” She sounded a little smug about it. “Grunkle used to court a lady during my grandma’s time when she was my age, but the lady didn’t like my grandma and Grunkle Izuku decided to end the courting because they’d disliked each other so much.”

“Are you threatening me?” He asked, lowering his voice both from disbelief and a bit of anger. He was also kind of impressed. He barely knew Ochako and she was over here threatening the successor of Atlantis. 

“Not really.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “I just want to know the guy who is clearly set on stealing my Grunkle Izuku away to start courting him within a day of meeting him.”

“We’re hardly courting.” Katsuki said, although he definitely wasn’t against it. It wasn’t exactly the smartest idea to start up a relationship with someone who might not be staying, though, now that he thought about it. Well, it wasn’t like he was actively trying to court Izuku. Seduce, maybe, but courting might be much for now. Still...the thought of more dates with Izuku...of maybe just seeing him around the house with him and not only in his bed...they weren’t entirely unpleasant. He wondered how Izuku would look if the two of them  _ were _ together when they went on a date. How comfortable he would be in Katsuki’s presence. Maybe sitting on the throne together, although Izuku would have to be in his lap.

“You’re thinking about it, though.” Katsuki didn’t know who he was more frustrated with: Ochako for her incessant bothering, or himself for constantly daydreaming in a way that was abnormal for him. What was it about Izuku that just drew him in? 

“You’re all merely visiting. I’m not thinking anything about courting.” 

Ochako hummed. “Maybe. But…” Her voice was softer, “I don’t know for sure if Grunkle will want to return.”

“What do you mean?” Katsuki asked, head snapping towards her.

“It’s been his dream to come back here for centuries now. And to find out what had happened here. I’m not so sure he’ll be so willing to leave after coming here.” That warmed Katsuki’s heart some, filling him with hope. Izuku might stay. Katsuki would finally have someone who believed him about the rot and was willing to try to do something about it. 

“Katsuki?” Izuku called, turning around and coming to a stop. The group of them hung near some foliage and boulders off of the main path so they weren’t blocking walking traffic. Izuku’s eyes looked between Ochako and Katsuki before finally resting on the Atlantean. 

Before he could say what he wanted to say, though, Eijirou cut him off by calling, “Why are you two hanging back so much? Don’t wanna talk with us?”

“Oh, shush up!” Ochako responded, though her tone was playful rather than scolding. She joined Izuku and crossed her arms. “You were all caught up in your own little worlds, so I was talking with Katsuki!”

“Oh! I wanted to actually try out my Atlantean that I practiced earlier!” Eijirou said, stepping over to Katsuki.

“Um, Eijirou, I wouldn’t-” Izuku started, but he was overpowered by Denki calling, “Yeah! Show Katsuki your stuff!”

Katsuki had a feeling that Eijirou was being set up. Most likely that he would have a horrible accent or pronunciation. He prepared his ears for the assault as Eijirou cleared his throat. The man puffed up with pride as he said in rough, but clear, Atlantean to Katsuki, “You are so beautiful that I would bend you over and fuck you in the moonlight!”

Katsuki’s eyes widened at the insult and before he could think to stop himself, he punched the man hard across the face. The girls and Izuku gasped as Hanta and Denki howled with laughter, pointing and basically falling over themselves at the hilarity. Katsuki could feel his cheeks burning a little from anger. 

“What did he say?!” Momo asked with alarm. Kyouka only sighed and pressed a hand to her face, far too used to the stupidity of her friends. 

“What the hell!” Eijirou cried, groaning a little as he rubbed at his cheek. It was already bruising as Mina helped him back to his feet. “I tried to compliment you!”

“One fucking hell of a compliment!” Katsuki shouted at him. He spun on Denki and Hanta. “You shits are gonna get it later!”

“Aww, calm down!” Hanta said. “It’s just a joke!”

“For you!” Eijirou said.

“You’ve been hit worse than that in a drunken brawl.” Mina said. “You’ll be fine. Come on.” She patted his shoulder sympathetically and glanced at the others. “What  _ did _ he say?”

“It’s better not to repeat it.” Kyouka said.

“She’s right.” Izuku agreed, making a face that looked somewhere between amused and disturbed. It was an odd look on his face. 

“I only caught about half of it, and I agree.” Shouto said.

“You can understand it?” Katsuki asked.

“Excuse us, Katsuki!” Someone called, and everyone looked up to see a cart being pulled behind some people. It took up a lot more of the road than just a normal pedestrian. “We need to get through, sir!”

Katsuki knew they were referring to him and were waiting for him to move. He nodded to them and motioned to the others to follow him as they took a grassy hill down to the wooden docks proper. He heard the people from the cart call their thanks behind them.

“Wow. Katsuki, a lot of people know you!” Izuku said as they all began to walk again. “They’ve been greeting you all day!”

“That’s because he’s the successor.” Hanta said.

“Huh? Successor to what?” Ochako asked. Izuku blanched from next to Katsuki and looked at him with a gaping mouth.

“Th-The  _ successor _ ?!” He cried in Atlantean before switching back. “That’s...you’re the prince?!”

“Prince?” Katsuki scoffed at the word. “Hell no. I’m not related to the King by blood. I ain’t the prince.”

“Katsuki, the successor is  _ basically _ the prince! You’re next in line to be the king!”

“WHAT?!” Eijirou, Mina, Ochako, and Momo cried.

“Oh Gods.” Shouto muttered, looking a little pale himself as he ran a hand through his hair.

“No wonder the King and you talked so informally.” Izuku muttered. “Katsuki was the successor the entire time. That was why he came to meet us as well. I can’t believe it! I’ve been with the successor the entire time! And I almost...We…”

“We what?” Katsuki prompted, for once not as annoyed by the muttering.

Izuku’s cheeks turned pink and he shook his head rapidly. “N-Nothing! Nevermind!”

Katsuki only gave him an amused look as the others began to chatter excitedly to each other. He wasn’t used to people being so surprised by his status. Everyone in the kingdom had known for centuries now what his role was. It was a little refreshing to see the shocked looks. But he didn’t really like the reserved awe Izuku had on his face. It felt too distant for what he liked.

So as soon as the others were turned away, he brushed his hand along the small of Izuku’s back and leaned into him, cupping the man’s hip to pull him close as Izuku startled and automatically tried to move away. “We almost…” Katsuki murmured in his ear, and to his delight he got to watch as that ear turned red from his proximity, “what?”

Izuku glanced at him and struggled for his words. Katsuki could see him swallow. His eyes darted to the others and saw that they were distracted by some kind of giant fish in the water in the distance, so Katsuki nipped at Izuku’s ear and squeezed his hip.

“Katsuki!” Izuku hissed, hand coming to cup his ear.

“Successor or not,” Katsuki said quickly, his nose practically brushing Izuku’s from closeness, “what I do with you is between us.”

He could see how Izuku’s eyes were dilated. How he liked how close Katsuki was. And Katsuki desperately wished they were alone so that he could kiss him properly and be done with it. He was half-tempted to drag Izuku away and into the bushes away from the others, but he figured that was too quick even for them. 

Izuku’s eyes also darted to the others to see them distracted. Something crossed his face and it was the only warning he got before Izuku turned in Katsuki’s hold and pulled him down by the neck. His eyewear and lips kissed Katsuki’s cheek as he breathed into his ear, “Good to know,” before he slipped from Katsuki’s hold. Katsuki was left floundering, his cheek and ear burning from the touch as he could only watch Izuku walk away with a cheeky smile to join the others. A shudder of what could only be considered lust ran down Katsuki’s spine. 

  
“ _ Bastard _ .” He grumbled without any heat as a challenging grin stretched across his face. This was the most excitement he’d had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT:  
> I FORGOT TO ADD [DAILY'S](https://daily-happiness-11.tumblr.com/post/186094399947/wohooooo-i-am-really-really-reaaaaallyyy-into) [ART](https://daily-happiness-11.tumblr.com/post/186143480682/more-of-atlantis-au-this-time-more-bakudeku-and)  
> [EVRA'S ART AS WELL!!](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/42/51/d6/4251d620a645716a6dda25d60d698557.png)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god so much good art.  
> Here are the [different](https://66.media.tumblr.com/256780e27a6c4528b0ffd4160f385432/tumblr_puc11oOE0D1vgkrj9o1_1280.jpg) [pieces](https://66.media.tumblr.com/742b1111988a427107473265f8cc0319/56d74a5342c3fcc7-ab/s1280x1920/383ef28520dedf874432061d968e89ea028caa65.jpg) [of](https://66.media.tumblr.com/a43573bcbcc6df8754056ea64e067dfb/tumblr_pug6pmJkjo1vgkrj9o2_1280.jpg) [art](https://66.media.tumblr.com/10336a271893a0a158e1e7772a296eba/tumblr_pug6pmJkjo1vgkrj9o1_1280.jpg) from Daily, who this story was inspired by and made for! Some minor spoilers obviously because I want to apply what I can from the pictures!  
> And here's a [gorgeous picture](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/42/51/d6/4251d620a645716a6dda25d60d698557.png) from Evra from chapter 6!  
> Elk also provided me two [very good](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/597207608021221377/600786618860830740/Screen_Shot_2019-07-08_at_10.42.53_PM.png) [pictures](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/597207608021221377/600786621318561795/Screen_Shot_2019-07-13_at_8.57.15_PM.png)! (Bonus ADG picture ;) ) Thank you ladies!!

They ended up spending the rest of the day with the group. Izuku was a little disappointed, but he couldn’t say he didn’t have a good time. Katsuki’s friends blended well with Izuku’s group of friends. He learned a lot from them in a different way from Katsuki. They had joked saying that Katsuki wasn’t really the type to go out with people and have a lot of fun because he was usually busy with one thing or another. Most of them were actually younger than Katsuki was, born after the Calamity rather than before it. 

Their groups shared stories with each other, and Izuku quickly understood something about the Atlanteans: they didn’t really understand what kind of threat they were under. Denki spoke sometimes of forgetting things, but he didn’t seem overly concerned by it. It was the same for Kyouka and Hanta. Izuku’s friends took no real notice of it, but Izuku would shoot Katsuki some concerned looks. The man looked closed off whenever the topic would come up. 

This was something that Katsuki was dealing with on his own, then. Was it because he wasn’t relying on anyone? Or was it because other people just didn’t care? Katsuki said that the Atlanteans were dying off and that their birth rates were low. How were the people not concerned about this?

“I told you already.” Katsuki said when evening fell and all of them were headed back towards the castle. As far as Izuku was aware, there was a welcoming dinner that was being thrown for them. A celebration that the Atlanteans hadn’t had in a long time. It had explained the relatively festive atmosphere that had hung around all day. It was nice to be a guest of honor in this case. “Our birth rates have always been low.”

“That’s not a good thing.” Izuku pointed out. “But why?”

Katsuki shrugged. “Maybe it’s part of the deal for why we have longer lives than normal mortals? Hell if I know. But most of us tend to be too caught up in one trade or another to develop relationships.”

Izuku pondered that for a few moments. “It _did_ say in one of the history books that I had read that Atlantis was known to be full of brilliant scientists and engineers. Some of the greatest teachers and libraries were here.” He paused, his steps faltering for a moment as he came to a realization of his own. “Oh my _Gods_.”

“What?” Katsuki asked. He eyed their friends that were moving ahead of them. They were falling behind. Izuku hurried to catch up and kept his voice low as they quickened their pace to try to rejoin the others. 

“It just...it explains a lot for me too. I’ve never really been interested in…” he waves his hand vaguely, feeling a little embarrassed, “relationships. Because I was so caught up in my research.”

Katsuki snorted. “Not according to Chubby Cheeks there.” He nodded to Ochako, and Izuku gaped at him a little bit at the name. “Said you dated before.”

“Th-That was one time!” He scratched at his head. “A long time ago. And it didn’t work out.”

“Because she and Chubby Cheeks’ grandmother didn’t get along?”

“Well...yeah, that was part of it. Wait, when did Ochako-?”

“It’s the same for me.” Katsuki interrupted Izuku’s question. “I’ve been busy with trying to figure out what had happened to us to be with anyone.”

Izuku opened his mouth and then closed it. He glanced at their friends and then at his feet before looking back up at Katsuki. He was pointedly not looking at Izuku. Izuku took a breath and asked, “Like... _be_ with anyone?”

“In any capacity.” Katsuki’s eyes met his then. They were burning with a familiar fire that Izuku had seen a number of times throughout the day and that set his heart racing. The pure lightning strike of arousal that Katsuki shot him through with still shocked him so greatly. He felt like he was very young again and wanted to give into the cravings of his body. He had never felt so strongly attracted to someone before. It was almost a little scary, but he loved the headiness of it. He wanted the heat of Katsuki’s body to his and his arm around his waist again. Even if a small part of him screamed a little because Katsuki was the _successor_ and he was over here flirting crazy hard with Izuku of all people. It was dizzying and exciting and flattering all at the same time. 

He cleared his throat. “O-Oh, well, uh, I see. I, um, I, well-”

Katsuki let out a scoff of a laugh and his features softened with amusement. Izuku took in the smaller version of his crooked smile before he messed up Izuku’s hair and motioned them onward. “Let’s not give them any reason to bother us. Let’s go.”

They joined the others and soon enough became part of the party there. Izuku could only marvel once again at everything. There were lanterns that glowed with an inner flame that seemed to shift around. All kinds of delicacies and food were laid out on the long tables that everyone shared. Most of the food wasn’t anything that Izuku or his friends could recognize, so he knew that they must be from creatures down here. Some of the things looked like bits of monsters they had experienced on the actual dive to where Atlantis was. It made him shudder a bit at the memory and that they could just easily defeat such monsters. 

The King himself attended the gala as well, but Izuku didn’t get much of a chance to talk with him. Instead he was wrapped up in all of the stories being exchanged. His crew was eager to share what life was like on the surface in exchange for stories about Atlantis. Izuku paid attention to how everyone interacted with each other and grinned behind the fruit alcohol he drank. Eijirou, Mina, Hanta, and Denki had become fast friends and were wowing their audience with tricks and stories. Eijirou was sharing recipes while Mina talked about her biologist field that she was studying. Touya had gathered a crowd on his own showing off his guns and discussing explosives, which made Izuku a bit uncomfortable but the Atlanteans seemed fine. Momo had gathered a crowd of admirers immediately with her beauty, and Izuku noticed right away how fiery Kyouka looked at that. She had staked a claim that Izuku could feel more than he could see. He wondered how _that_ would turn out. Ochako and Shouto were sitting nearby and watching Touya, but they seemed to be caught up in their own little world as Ochako was pointing at some piece of Atlantean technology she had and was chatting animatedly. Shouto was looking at her more than what she was talking about. 

His tongue and body loosened from the alcohol, Izuku didn’t mind as he leaned against Katsuki’s shoulder and nodded to the women. “So much for Atlanteans not being interested in romance.” Katsuki shifted next to Izuku and leaned back on his hands. One of his arms was behind Izuku’s back, supporting both of them. Unlike the others, they were granted more peace. Izuku suspected it was because of Katsuki’s position. He didn’t particularly mind it. He was full and a little bit tipsy. It was a pleasant place to be at.

“I said we’re usually too focused on other things. But you all are a rarity that everyone is interested in.” Katsuki explained, his head turned so his lips brushed against Izuku’s temple. A shiver ran through Izuku and goosebumps formed along his skin. “You’re all fascinating.”

“I think _you_ are fascinating.” Izuku said.

“Me?” Katsuki asked, a little surprised but definitely amused.

“I meant you as in…” He motioned lackdastically around them to the general area.

Katsuki huffed a laugh and shifted them again. “Come, Izuku. You’ve had enough drink. Let’s go for a walk.”

“I’m not _drunk_.” Izuku protested.

“I never said you were.” He hauled Izuku to his feet and gave the man a push. Izuku stumbled only a tiny bit before making his way through the throng of people and headed for the outside. Katsuki snatched a staff that had an unlit paper lantern on it and followed after him. The outside air was definitely a bit cooler, but still sticky and humid. Izuku’s clothes stuck to him some and he was jealous of what Katsuki wore. He wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask for similar garb. Even if it was his own cultural clothing.

“Where are we walking to?”

“Down this way. Follow me.” Izuku didn’t say anything for a long moment and let the sounds of the music and talking fall away until only the gentle buzz of insects, the calls of night animals, and the rush of the waterfalls filled the air. He closed his eyes briefly and too it all in until he saw a flash of light behind his eyelids. He opened them and jumped back with a yelp as he saw a firefly. The fireflies from down here were nothing like the ones on the surface. Izuku had seen them actual light things on fire with a single touch and form a blazing tornado. But Katsuki only took them to the water’s edge and stabbed his lantern staff into the ground before going to gently catch the firefly in his hands.

“Wait, Katsuki-”

“They’re fine.” Katsuki explained. “As long as you’re gentle with them.” He moved over to the lantern and motioned with his head to the lid. Izuku joined him and opened it so he could drop the bug inside. Around them more fireflies appeared and danced through the trees and bushes. They reflected over the water’s surface and brushed by Izuku. They were warm to the touch, but did not burn. Izuku attempted to catch one and found it was easy to do. Katsuki opened the lantern for him to drop it in.

“These things aren’t so bad when they’re not forming a raging fire of death.” Izuku laughed, smiling. His heart was warm. He couldn’t believe how much he loved everything here. Katsuki just watched him. “Everything is so amazing.”

“Not everything.” Katsuki said, and took Izuku’s glasses from his face as he spoke. Izuku blinked a few times at his sudden blurry vision, but he could still see Katsuki enough. He squinted as the man put the glasses on and then made a face of his own at the sight. “What _are_ these? They make your vision worse!”

“Actually, they _help_ my vision.” Izuku took his glasses back and put them on. “My vision isn’t the best because of how many nights I’ve spent reading. The glasses help me not to strain my eyes.”

“Weird. What do you do if they break?”

“Um, I hope they don’t?” Izuku laughed nervously, and went for another firefly. They spoke as they captured a few more to add to their lantern before they walked a little further along the edge of the water with the staff in hand. “Do you not like it here, Katsuki?”

“Hah?” Katsuki asked, confused by the question.

“You said not everything is amazing.”

“Obviously it’s not with the damn rot.” Katsuki said with a growl to his tone that wasn’t directed at Izuku. Izuku’s head was still swimming a tiny bit, but he could feel the buzz wearing off with the warm air. His cheeks still felt very hot. “Tomorrow I will take you to some of the places I’ve discovered so you can see if you can figure out anything new. There are pictures that go along with most of the murals I’ve found, but I cannot understand the writing on or around them.”

“Writing? Is it a language you don’t read?” Izuku asked, instantly curious. Maybe it was a language from a foreign country? Izuku would at least be able to recognize most of it on sight. Did Atlantean allow for people to understand what was spoken but not said?

“I used to.” Katsuki glared at the water. “But everyone has forgotten how to read Atlantean runes. They look like nothing but symbols now.”

“Wait, _Atlantean_? Your own language?”

“Yes!” He snapped at him, irritated.

“As in like the runes on my back?” Izuku asked. “I have a tattoo written in Atlantean!”

Katsuki calmed down just a little bit. Izuku shifted and grabbed the hem of his shirt, but suddenly the back of his shirt was being hefted up and almost over his head. He stiffened in surprise as Katsuki said, “Huh, so you were telling the truth.” He knelt down a little to look at Izuku’s back better. Izuku waited and rubbed at his cheeks trying not to be as flustered as he felt. “These do look like the runes.” He sounded frustrated again and dropped Izuku’s shirt.

“And you can’t read them?”

“ _No_ , dammit! How many times must I say it?!” The man barked.

“It says ‘blessed’.” Katsuki froze. Izuku looked over his shoulder at him and watched his reaction. His anger turned to confusion, and then wary hopefulness. 

“What?”

“The runes on my back read ‘blessed’.” Izuku repeated softly, and spun around to face Katsuki. The two of them were nearly chest to chest again as Izuku looked up into the man’s face. “I’ve known that for a long time.”

Katsuki took a breath and then another. His face was stunned and vulnerable. Izuku felt something like terror and excitement shiver in his breast as well as he watched the man come to the same realization that Izuku had in that moment. “You can read it?”

“I’ve always known how to.” Izuku said. “I’ve written in it since I was just a child. And I never forgot. It was how I was able to translate how to find-”

Katsuki grabbed Izuku’s forearms in a tight hold that made Izuku gasp. His eyes were wide and seemed to reflect the fire of the fireflies dancing around them. “You can _read_ it! Fuck, why didn’t you tell me right away?!”

“I didn’t know you couldn’t!” Izuku cried.

Katsuki dropped his arms and ran a hand into his hair. His face was glowing with excitement. Izuku could practically see his thoughts flying as he paced first one way and then another before turning back to Izuku. “Can you swim?”

“What?”

“Can you swim, Izuku?!”

“Yes! Yes, I can swim!”

“Then we’re going now.” Katsuki said, a grin stretching across his face. “We’re going immediately.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Wh-Where are we going exactly?” Izuku asked as Katsuki began to work at the belt across his chest. He was already stepping off of the dirt they were standing on and into the water. Izuku stumbled after him but stopped before he entered the water. They were going swimming? Now? It was dark out, though! And Izuku’d had a little bit to drink too. “Maybe we should wait for morning before swimming?”

“I’ve waited too many centuries as it is!” Katsuki snapped at him, tossing his top onto the dirt. Izuku swallowed as even more skin was revealed to him. The cloth had done little to hide anything, but it still sent small shocks through Izuku’s system to see him completely bare. Izuku felt a goofy smile beginning to stretch across his face as he barely resisted laughing at himself. Well, no other choice then.

He began to pull off his own shirt as he said, “W-Well, I’ll have you know I was the bellyflop champion for three years running!” He got his shirt off and tossed it to the ground to find Katsuki watching him with a raised eyebrow.

“Dunno what that is, but it sounds terrible.”

“It is.” Izuku admitted. “But despite that I can swim pretty, uh,” His words began to stutter quickly as Katsuki went to undoing his skirt as well, “pretty gay - uh - guy - uh- um!”

“Can you speak Atlantean?” Katsuki asked, amused. He had to know exactly what kind of effect he was having on Izuku. He could feel his own ears burning, but he practically combusted as the skirt came off to reveal absolutely nothing underneath of it.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” He cried, hands coming to cover his face as he fell to a crouch. His heart was pounding so thickly in his ears and the image of Katsuki’s naked body was already seared into his eyes. 

“What are you so freaked out about?” Katsuki demanded, and Izuku heard him exit the water to stand near him. The very thought of him being so close was almost enough to make Izuku pass out. He was pretty sure he had burned off any alcohol that had been in his system with the way his blood was boiling.

“Why are you naked?!” He cried, half-whining.

“So my clothes don’t get wet, obviously. And so my legs are free underwater.” For once it didn’t seem like Katsuki was teasing him. Izuku peeked through his fingers and saw that crooked smirk on Katsuki’s face, but his words are sincere. He had a point. Why would he go swimming and risk getting the already-light material of his skirt tangled around his legs? That didn’t make it easier on Izuku, though.

_Calm down!_ He scolded himself. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen plenty of naked men in his time! He had more important things to be doing than freaking out over the gorgeous naked man in front of him. He stood up quickly so he was at least closer to face-height with Katsuki and dropped his hands. He could still feel the blood in his face, but he was at least a little calmer.

“R-right. That makes sense.”

“Are you swimming in your clothes then?” Katsuki asked as his eyes dropped to Izuku’s pants.

“Are you trying to get me naked?” He returned. Katsuki’s eyes snapped back to his, and they glittered in the light of the fireflies around them. Katsuki’s mouth opened for a no-doubt sassy and flirtatious answer when Izuku cut him off by saying, “Just kidding! Haha, no I, uh, I don’t think I can…” He undid the belt of his pants and shimmied out of them. It felt good to get fresh air on his heated legs as he tugged on the ends of his boxer shorts. They would be suitable enough for swim trunks, at least, though he did feel a little embarrassed to be in his underwear out in public.

“Fine. I can’t go getting distracted anyway.” Katsuki decided after a moment as his hand slipped out to boldly skate across Izuku’s stomach and side. Izuku gasped and stiffened before Katsuki pulled away with a pleased smirk. The smirk dropped away after a moment as he grabbed his crystal with one hand and closed his eyes. Izuku’s skin tingled as he watched Katsuki, suddenly focused. Last time he had held his crystal like that, he had been able to heal Izuku’s injuries somehow. What was he doing now?

Katsuki pulled his hand away, and his palm glowed with the same blue light as his crystal. He touched the tattoo on his cheek and on his arm before touching the one on his thigh. Within seconds, they all started to glow. Izuku gasped with delight and shock.

“You can make your tattoos glow?!” He cried.

“You can’t?” Katsuki asked, confused. Izuku shook his head quickly. The man hummed. “Have you tried?” His eyes were on Izuku’s faintly-glowing crystal. 

“I don’t know how.” Izuku said, lifting his crystal to look at it. In the darkness of the night, most of the crystal only reflected back the darkness. Only the edges of the crystal and how it was cut, along with just a small spot within the crystal seemed to glow. It was nothing compared to the soft lantern light of Katsuki’s own crystal.

“You only want for it to do so.” Katsuki said, stepping close to Izuku. His body warmth was close enough to feel. He pulled his own crystal close to Izuku’s and touched them together. He closed his eyes briefly and then reopened them. Izuku waited, holding his own crystal aloft, but whatever Katsuki was trying to do didn’t seem to work. He glanced up at the man and saw the Atlantean frowning. He took a breath and blew slowly on both of them. The glow in his own crystal became more vibrant, but Izuku’s barely flickered. He hummed, discontent, and dropped his crystal then.

“Guess I can’t?” Izuku asked.

“I’m not sure what is wrong with your crystal. It’s wrong to see it like that.” 

“It’s been like that for as long as I can remember.”

“Even before the Fall?”

“I don’t know.” He confessed. “I can’t remember.”

Katsuki let out a sigh from his nose. “I see.”

“Can you make my tattoos glow too?” He asked eagerly, wanting to change the subject. It made him ill to think his crystal was wrong. It wasn’t like he liked the fact either. It was one of his last connections to his home, after all. The last proof that he had really been from Atlantis. Everything else could be explained away maybe - even the tattoos - but the crystal held magic in it. Magic from what, and where they got the crystals from, Izuku didn’t know. But he knew they were the only ones to have it. All of his research only spoke of Atlanteans all having a necklace of their own.

“Yeah. Here.” Katsuki repeated the magic, making his hand glow before he touched Izuku’s ankle and his back. He wasn’t sure if the tingling in his skin was from Katsuki running his palm up Izuku’s spine to make sure to hit every symbol or if that was Izuku’s reaction to the man’s touch. He took it as the latter since his ankle didn’t get the same sensation. It left him a little flustered as he rubbed at his cheek and adjusted his glasses on his face. Then he realized he would need to probably take those off. He could still see without them. He just tucked the arm into the hem of his boxers. He would use them if he needed them. He couldn’t use them in the water, after all.

“Amazing.” He said, smiling at Katsuki when the man had finished. He now wished that he had more tattoos like some of the more colorful Atlanteans had.

“Are you finally ready to go?” Katsuki asked, heading back into the water. The fact that Izuku’s vision was blurrier helped to keep him from getting too worked up over the man’s naked form, which was something he could thank the Gods for. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he had clear eyes and they were swimming underwater and- “Izuku!” Katsuki snapped his fingers in front of Izuku’s face.

“Sorry!” Izuku shook his head. “Yes! I’m ready!” He joined the man in the water, wading in until both of them were up to their waists. The water trapped air in the legs of Izuku’s boxers and they poofed out, making Katsuki grin at the sight. Izuku flushed and laughed nervously before quickly pressing the air out of his underwear. It sent bubbles across the surface of the water. “Well! Let’s go!” He called, and dove into the water. It was pleasantly warm and just a bit chillier than was comfortable. He swam a couple of feet before realizing Katsuki wasn’t behind him. He returned to where he started quickly, pushing the wet hair from his face to see Katsuki watching him with an amused eyebrow raised.

“Why don’t _you_ lead, since I don’t know where I’m going?” Izuku suggested sheepishly, realizing he had jumped the gun.

Katsuki only rolled his eyes. “Come on.” He said with good-humor before he dove into the water. Izuku berated himself for being such a dork before he took a deep breath and followed after him. 


	12. Chapter 12

The water was now familiar territory to Katsuki after all of these years. His body moved with ease through it, and his lungs had long since adjusted to being able to hold his breath. The water of Atlantis was crystal clear below the surface and away from any of the waterfalls. Though his vision was blurred underwater, Katsuki knew his way to where he was leading Izuku. Underneath the waves of the lakes he felt a little more clear-headed than before. Focused. It had been fun playing with and teasing Izuku, but Katsuki wanted to focus now. 

His mind and heart were still thrumming with excitement and hope he hadn’t felt in a long time. Izuku could _read_ the runes. He understood them and hadn’t forgotten like the rest of Atlantis had. Was it because he had been away from Atlantis? Was the rot weaker on him? Katsuki didn’t know. He wanted to find out, though. Izuku in his own right was a mystery. Who exactly was he? Why was his crystal so weak? Katsuki wanted to know everything. And the first step was where they were going, he was sure.

He reached a hand out as they swam deeper and underneath a sunken arch. He spun around in the water to glance back at Izuku and saw that he was keeping up fairly well, but he was lagging some. It occurred to Katsuki that Izuku’s lungs might not be able to keep up. The other man had been able to keep up with Katsuki thus far, but he didn’t actually know if Izuku was used to swimming a lot. He didn’t want him drowning out here, so Katsuki spun around again and went back towards the surface.

Izuku gasped for breath when they broke for air. His hair clung to his face, his longer curls blocking his vision. Katsuki reached out to move it himself when Izuku brushed back his own hair. Katsuki dropped his hand again.

“Can you keep going?” He demanded.

“Yes-” Izuku barely got out before Katsuki said, “Good! Let’s go.” He took a deep breath and dove again. It was getting darker as they approached more of the sunken buildings. His crystal’s blue glow lit the way, easily illuminating the sandy, rocky bottom of the lake and any features they came across. Fish and crustaceans scuttled and darted away from them as they ducked into the crumbling remains of what Katsuki very faintly remembered to be something of a church. It was a place where the gods had been worshipped and praised. Katsuki could somewhat remember kneeling and bowing on this floor with his mother and father, though he could no longer remember what either of them had looked like.

He took Izuku to the roof where it was partially caved in and there was a small pocket of air. There were a couple of places like this under the roof of the church where it just barely poked out of the surface of the water. The ancient stone trembled slightly to the touch from a nearby waterfall, but it kept most of the noise out. Izuku was pressed near to Katsuki due to the tiny space. Both men had to keep their heads ducked as Katsuki reached past Izuku to keep at least a little space between them as their legs kicked to keep them above the water.

Izuku’s face was dark in the glow of Katsuki’s crystal. He was close enough that Katsuki could smell the food and alcohol he had consumed earlier. His eyes were gorgeous in the blue glow and without his glasses on his face, and Katsuki wanted to bury his hand into the other man’s mop of curly hair and pull him in to kiss those lips that had been tempting him since this morning. He brushed it aside, though, the urge not as strong as it had been earlier, and raised an eyebrow in silent question.

“Where are we?” Izuku asked, looking down at the water and then around them. There wasn’t much to see.

“There’s a mural below us on the wall,” Katsuki explained, brushing his own wet locks from his forehead. His braids hung heavier on his head, “I had found it a long time ago when I had first started really exploring and searching for answers. There are runes around it. I want you to read them.”

“Okay.” Izuku nodded, looking determined. Katsuki appreciated that in the other man. If anything, this really showed he was an Atlantean. They all had the same urge for discovery and purpose. He could see it burning in the lightning of Izuku’s eyes. “I’ll need your light, though.”

“I’ll stick close.” Katsuki agreed. He took a deep breath and Izuku followed his example before they both dove. It was fairly deep to get to the mural, and without even the soft glow of the overhead sky light the mural was completely black. Katsuki held his crystal out and watched as the picture for the mural came into view.

There were a number of murals located within the ancient church. Bits of it were broken and covered with moss, but Katsuki had cleared much of it off. He came back often to try to parse the images he could see in the clear water. The mural was ancient - older than Katsuki was for sure - and depicted scenes he couldn’t understand. There was some kind of blue star surrounded by faces. What looked to be giant brown-colored humanoid figures. Some humans in the sky as well. It didn’t make sense, but Katsuki knew the runes that circled the pictures had to mean something.

Izuku swam in close to the wall and used his hands to slowly navigate it. Katsuki joined him to help him see better, not needing to look at the pictures after practically memorizing them already. Izuku crawled across the wall, his movements getting more excited as his eyes widened. Katsuki watched him more than anything, his own skin prickling with goosebumps as Izuku looked around him quickly before diving deeper. He motioned once for Katsuki to follow him, but Katsuki was already moving. They swam down to a patch of words separated from the circle encompassing this particular mural and without finishing all of it. After a minute or so, Izuku turned back to Katsuki. His eyes were glittering as he pointed rapidly to the roof. The two of them swam up to break into another patch of air.

“This is amazing!!” Izuku cried almost before he was able to even get a breath of air. “The amount of detail into the lore behind this is something I haven’t been able to find for years of my research and yet it describes exactly at what the books have been hinting at and what they’ve been attempting to figure out but what Atlanteans haven’t been telling-”

“The star!” Katsuki barked, cutting off the rambling of the man and slamming a hand to Izuku’s mouth to shut him up. “What does it say about the star?!”

“I don’t know yet,” Izuku responded while panting for air, a grin on his face as he once again wiped his hair from his eyes, “but I’m gonna find out! Come on!” He took another deep breath and dove before Katsuki could follow him. Katsuki watched the man escape the light of Katsuki’s crystal. His own crystal was the tiniest of sparks, floating behind Izuku as he dove deeper. The runes on his back were brighter than it, easily allowing Katsuki to see where the man was going. Katsuki hurried to follow him knowing that he needed the light to read. 

There were small runes engraved in the “glow” coming off of the blue star that the brown-colored humanoids were reaching towards. The star itself sparkled, reflecting Katsuki’s light back at them both as they bounced off of miniscule chips of clear stone engraved into the mural. Izuku’s fingers skimmed the runes as he read, moving around to try to keep himself down as his body naturally tried to float upwards. Katsuki pressed down on the man’s back occasionally to help him stay down, more used to swimming. For a moment he wondered how Izuku could’ve survived to float to the surface where the other outsiders were. His eyes darted to the glowing runes on Izuku’s back. “Blessed” indeed. 

Suddenly bubbles erupted from Izuku’s lips and nose as he exclaimed. He spun towards Katsuki to face him, his cheeks a little puffed out from holding his breath, and grabbed his own crystal. He held it aloft and pointed at it repeatedly and excitedly, trying to convey some kind of idea. Katsuki’s eyebrows furrowed, not understanding. Izuku pointed at the mural as well before deciding to give up and pointed up again. The two of them swam up to find another air patch and broke through it.

“The star…” Izuku said when they could speak again. His eyes were wide with marvel as he looked at the crystal he held in his hand. He looked back to Katsuki, breathless, as he said, “The star! It’s the Heart of Atlantis!”

“What do you mean?” Katsuki asked, frantic to know more. His heart was racing in his chest. Finally, _finally_ he was getting somewhere! 

“It’s the Heart of Atlantis! It was a gift from the Gods themselves to our people, Katsuki! It’s where our magic comes from! Our long lives! How we’ve prospered for so long!” He grabbed Katsuki’s crystal as well and shook both his own crystal and Katsuki’s in his face. “These crystals! They’re connected to that magic! That’s why we all have these!”

“The crystals are connected to the Heart…?” Katsuki took his own crystal back to look at it. It was glowing just as brightly as before, but somehow it felt changed. Charged. He looked back to Izuku. “Is that why yours is barely glowing? Because you were so far away?”

“I don’t know.” Izuku admitted, sounding a little disgruntled. “That’s a possibility. The crystal that Shouto has that’s from his mom is also like mine, after all. Maybe it’s distance...but what does that mean if I’m here now and it’s still faint?” He sounded like he was musing to himself.

“Perhaps the Heart is no longer here.” Katsuki suggested, his tone darkening as the implications bloomed in his mind. 

Izuku was concerned, a frowning etching itself onto his face. He didn’t respond for a moment, thinking. “It...maybe. This...This isn’t the place to discuss this.” He decided while glancing around. “We should head back unless there’s more you want to show me?”

Katsuki shook his head. “It’s late and we had an early start. We can come back tomorrow.”

Izuku nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

The trip back seemed even shorter. Katsuki’s mind was swirling with the information he had learned even though he knew Izuku had even more to say. He wanted all of the details that Izuku had read, not just the tiny bit that he had. “The Heart of Atlantis”? He couldn’t remember if he had heard that term before. Surely he must have if he had gone to that church as a kid. But his memory was too faint to recall. He cursed the rot again not for the first time.

They returned to the shore they had departed from to discover the night was even quieter. Though they had left the party, Katsuki had still been able to tell it had been going on by the lights in the distance. Those lights were now extinguished. He could feel the late hour weighing heavily on his body. His mind was thrumming with thoughts and ideas, but the activities of the day were definitely getting to him. He could see the drag of exhaustion pulling at Izuku as well as the man yawned and ran a tired hand over his eyes. Despite that, though, his own face still seemed contemplative.

“Katsuki,” Izuku began as Katsuki shook the water from himself and attempted to dry off. There was a breeze blowing, but it was gentle and not very useful. He pulled his skirt back on so at least he would be decent enough to walk back home, “I don’t believe the Heart is missing.”

“Hah?” Katsuki asked, frowning. “How else would you explain the rot then?”

Izuku shook his head. “I still don’t know. But just...Let me explain what I learned.” He pulled on his pants over his soaked, shorter pants (though Katsuki wasn’t sure why he bothered) before he tossed his shirt over his shoulders. He slipped his glasses back onto his face. Katsuki took the time to admire Izuku properly, briefly, before the thought flittered away. They began walking back towards the main roads.

“The mural was talking about the Heart of Atlantis as a, uh, power source,” he explained while motioning with his hands. Katsuki listened attentively, not minding Izuku’s rambling this time, “It was a gift given to Atlantis by the Gods because the Gods admired us as a people. Something about us being intelligent and focused or...something. I don’t know how true that is considering it might be an exaggeration, though. Either way, we were given the Heart as a gift and all of the magic that came with it. The magic is a...life source. One that has been around for so long that I have a theory that maybe our people have grown, I don’t know, dependant on it. And somehow that’s related to the rot that’s occurring.”

Katsuki frowned. “But you said our crystals are connected to it, and yet ours are not faded like yours. Your memory is also better than ours despite you having been away from Atlantis for most of your life. If the Heart is a life source, then how have you not died? Why have you lived just as long as any of us?”

“I don’t know.” Izuku ran a hand into his hair, looking a little disgruntled. “It’s just a theory anyway. I don’t have enough information.”

“What about the other pictures on the mural?” Katsuki asked instead. “What were those figures and the faces?”

“I’m not...exactly sure. The mural doesn’t really speak of them. Perhaps they’re the Gods themselves? Or representations of our people?” Izuku yawned again. They had yet to encounter many people on their walk back. The paths were lit with paper lanterns and fireflies as well. The paper would easily burn away when the insects wanted to escape, but the fires would put themselves out quickly. Katsuki knew they needed to return quickly. He wondered if any of Izuku’s companions would be questioning his disappearance.

“We’ll find out more tomorrow.” Katsuki said. “I have other places we can go that might have more information.” Then he paused and remembered what his mother was always telling him about asking rather than commanding. He was to be King, but he was not a King yet and Izuku was a friend to him rather than someone to boss around. Plus he still wanted to make a good impression. Katsuki knew he could come off badly to people, but over the decades he had become better about curbing his more...undesirable traits, as his mother put it. The stuff he had inherited from his mother that usually buried the habits he had picked up from his father. So he looked to Izuku who was watching their surroundings and looking at peace with the sight and asked, “If you are okay with keeping me company tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course!” Izuku was quick to respond, smiling. “I want to find out everything that I can! This is why I came back to find Atlantis, after all! I need to know what happened to us!”

Katsuki felt his own lips quirk with pleasure at the thought of being able to spend more time with Izuku. He was thrilled the man had agreed so easily. He wasn’t sure what the other man’s relationship was with all of the companions that he had travelled with, but perhaps their journey had been longer than Katsuki had thought if he was willing to leave their sides all day without much concern.

“Besides,” Izuku added, his voice a little shyer, “I like spending time with you. And I want to see much more.”

“Yes, I’m aware of how much you like me.” Katsuki said with a smirk, well-aware of what he had said. As he predicted, Izuku turned red again and stuttered out,

“N-No! Like _spending time with_ you! N-Not that I don’t- uh, I mean-”

Katsuki couldn’t help but laugh, losing his ability to control his own amusement as sleep made his mind just a bit loopier. Izuku was cute and companionable to be around and Katsuki knew he had fallen very hard, very fast for the other man. He would enjoy the fall for as long as he could, he had decided upon realizing his attraction, considering that he did not know how long Izuku planned to stay around. He wanted to spend more time with Izuku.

Izuku groaned, a half-whine emitting from him, and pushed Katsuki’s arm. “Will you please stop teasing me?”

“Fuck that.” Katsuki said, still chuckling to himself. They were nearing the castle gardens. Katsuki led the way to sneak Izuku back to his room, although neither of them needed to hide their reappearance at the castle. Katsuki only wanted to avoid meeting anybody else. That, and it was just a quick climb up to Katsuki’s own room rather than taking the stairs. “You make it too easy, nerd.”

“You’re very flirtatious for someone who barely knows me.” Izuku pointed out as they crossed the stream and began their climb up through the garden. “Are you like this with everyone? What happened to Atlanteans being very into their craft or whatnot?”

Katsuki grinned where Izuku couldn’t see it. Izuku saw him as flirtatious? Up until recently, Katsuki hadn’t had that kind of interest in anyone. His more lustful thoughts and actions had been centered around pleasing himself and his body more than imagining any sort of person. He was sure he could’ve found someone, but nobody had interested him in that way. It was a surprisingly big turn off to talk to people around his age because none of them seemed particularly concerned - or have even noticed - the rot other than the obvious effects of it. He didn’t want to have to deal with idiots, let alone idiots who did not share in or care for his passion. Even bedmates wouldn’t be worth it.

“As I said before, you’re interesting.” He glanced at Izuku as he brought himself up to the final section of the garden and assisted the man up as well. Izuku’s room was not far from there. He did not let go of Izuku’s hand and instead stood, bringing the man close to him. “Are you saying you’re not pleased with my…” his eyes darted up and down Izuku’s form, taking the time to really admire the other man’s fit body and his toned arms before his eyes met Izuku’s again, “attention?”

Izuku hesitated for a moment, seemingly stunned, before he smiled back. It was a small smile, but not a tentative one. His hand relaxed in Katsuki’s grip and he stepped a bit closer before he pressed his fingertips to Katsuki’s chest. Katsuki was certain the other man could feel his heart thumping hard under his skin. He had to be able to feel the way his body lit on fire as those fingers skimmed up and over his chest and to his neck before they reached up to grip Katsuki’s braids. His smile widened a bit more before his hand dropped to capture Katsuki’s other hand.

“I’m not against it. I, um, I actually really like it.” 

Katsuki wasn’t stupid. He didn’t need verbal confirmation to know Izuku could feel the same electricity between the two of them. Their reasons were possibly different for their attraction, but the attraction was there nonetheless. Izuku leaned into Katsuki’s space like he was being drawn in without his notice, and Katsuki was ready to meet him part way. 

“I know that.” He responded, lips brushing Izuku’s as the other man’s eyes closed. He felt Izuku breathe in and Katsuki moved to finally kiss the nerd’s lips

when a throat cleared from nearby. Izuku and Katsuki both startled as hot irritation ripped through Katsuki's body. A scowl formed as Izuku broke away from him to see Izuku's niece - Ochako or Chubby Cheeks or whatever - sitting on the ledge of Izuku's window with her arms crossed and with a smirk on her face. She was well-aware of what she had done.

"Here I was waiting for my Grunkle Izuku to show up and he was off canoodling with the locals!" Ochako said with sly playfulness in her tone. "I would think to say I should'a known, but Grunkle Izuku's is usually better than that!"

"Ochako!" Izuku cried, looking exasperated, embarrassed, and mortified at the same time. He sho Katsuki an apologetic look. Katsuki used all of the willpower and self-control he had learned through his years of training as Toshinori's successor to stop himself from shouting in frustration. Twice! Twice now they had been interrupted! And on top of that, Katsuki understood he had no way of convincing Izuku to let him stay the night either. He was cursed, for sure. "Sorry Katsuki about, um, her-"

"I can hear you!" Ochako called.

"Leave then!" Katsuki barked at her. She only laughed and didn't move.

Izuku sighed. "Yeah, her. H-How..." He cleared his throat. "I'll...see you in the morning?" At least he sounded hopeful. Katsuki wasn't going to say no to that, though he would've enjoyed bringing Izuku back to his own bed and spending the night talking about their discovery or possibly discovering more about each other instead. He would take what he could.

"Yeah." Katsuki said. "Tomorrow."

Izuku smiled and gave him a wave before joining his niece. Katsuki waited until he was inside before he left to enter the castle normally, frustrated in many different ways. At least he knew he had tomorrow.


	13. Chapter 13

Izuku woke up for the second time that night to much better and less mortifying circumstances. His body was covered in a layer of grimy sweat and the blanket was a tangle around his legs. His breathing was a little heavier than it should be, and Izuku could only stare at the ceiling while lamenting the fact that he was such a piece of work. He fully blamed all of the teasing and then the night swim he and Katsuki had gone on for the rather dirty dream he’d had. He had been woken up in the middle of the night from it and had already had to change once. He would have to find time at some point to clean his own clothing.

His mind was still swimming with the images from his last dream. He covered his face with his arms and groaned, feeling heat stir inside of his chest and shoot through him. This was Katsuki’s fault for sure. Izuku needed to get control of himself, but he was having way too much fun. Even though now he wasn’t sure he would be able to look Katsuki in the face when they would meet today. He needed a shower.

He extracted himself from his tangle in bed knowing that it would be better to get dressed in case Katsuki showed up at his window again like yesterday. It was early in the morning and Izuku was still tired from getting to bed late last night. He’d had to fend off Ochako’s questions about where he had gone after the party and assure her that it was certainly none of her business what he and Katsuki got up to together despite her concern. He knew that her actual “concern” was just the recent family trait of messing with Izuku that had started back during Ochako’s grandmother’s time. Ever since Izuku’s last lover, Ochako’s family had been adamantly protective of Izuku. It hadn’t been a problem before, but now it certainly was with Izuku having a potential suitor in the midst.

Izuku’s movements were slow as he pulled on his clothing, his mind lost adrift in the pleasantly heated dream he’d had. All of Katsuki’s exposed skin...the way that mouth moved on him with all of his cheekiness and his occasional vulgarity...it made Izuku shiver. He sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. He couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened last night if he and Katsuki had managed to kiss. Izuku had so desperately wanted to before Ochako had interrupted them. He wanted Katsuki badly.

Izuku’s hand dropped and he glanced towards the window almost hopefully. He waited a few seconds with baited breath, but nobody appeared. Izuku let the air rush out of him in a whoosh. He was being silly. Katsuki might not even be awake. Or he might have been attending to some duties. As the successor to the throne, there were probably a number of things that Katsuki needed to do. He may have promised some time to Izuku that day so they could explore more, but Katsuki hadn’t given him a time. 

A different kind of shiver of excitement ran through Izuku then. Their discovery from yesterday came to mind as well as the wonder that burned liquid fire in his chest. The place Katsuki had taken them had to have been some sort of church with the information that had been on the mural. It talked about the Gods in a way that Izuku already knew plenty about. His research had been clear on that front. The church they had been in had been dedicated to their gods. The ones that had, according to the mural, given Atlantis the Heart of Atlantis to begin with.

Izuku finished dressing - once again in a tank top but now also in some short - before digging out his notebook. He flipped through the pages and skimmed over his various collections of dreams. Most of them confirmed what he already knew and had not forgotten. But the light he had seen during the Calamity...was that somehow related to the Heart of Atlantis? What exactly was the Heart? It was a power source, supposedly, and a life source. Given to them by the Gods, but how much had the praise for Atlanteans been exaggerated? Was it even the truth? How was the Heart acquired? From the Gods themselves, or by finding it? And how did every Atlantean have a necklace? 

Izuku wrote down everything that he had learned as well as his various questions, keeping a log of what he could inside of it. He sketched out what he vaguely remembered the mural looked like, but he wasn’t very great at it. He hadn’t seen it in its entirety because of his blindness and because of the darkness. Nevertheless he zoned out a little while doodling, his mind already running through various theories.

A knock on his door startled him from his musings. He closed the journal and placed it back in his bag before calling, “Coming!” He got up and opened the door to find Shouto on the other side. The other man gave him a nod in a greeting.

“Good morning.” He said.

“Good morning! You’re up early.”

“Because I’m sharing my room with Touya and he was up early.” Shouto said, glancing back down the hallway. Izuku poked his head out and saw Touya chatting with Momo and Ochako. Maybe it wasn’t as early as Izuku had thought if they were all up. Then he saw that Touya had his bag on him along with his gun. Izuku frowned and approached him, giving Shouto a confused look.

“Good morning, Touya.” Izuku greeted. “Good morning ladies.” He nodded to them as well. “Where are you going?” He asked the other man.

“Morning. I’m headed out to go meet with the rest of our team.” Touya said. “Someone’s gotta keep them updated.”

“You mean keep Tomura and Himiko in check.” Ochako said drily. 

Touya huffed a laugh. “That too. They’ll get antsy if we stay still for too long. I was just discussing with Momo what the deal is. How long are we staying here? And…” He paused for a moment and then said, “Let’s be honest here: we were all expecting a dead society. And a lot of our crew was expecting treasure of some sort. What are we gonna tell them?”

“They will be paid for their time!” Momo said with a huff of annoyance. “I have told all of you this multiple times.” 

“Yeah, well, depending on how long we’re here they may want more.” Touya warned.

“We’ll find a way to pay them.” Shouto said. “We should have plenty of money between us.” 

Touya scratched at the back of his head. “I guess. Anyway, I’ll go chat with them. See how they’re feeling. I’ll be back tomorrow probably.”

“Do you need a guide of some sort?” Izuku asked.

“Nah, I’ll be fine.” Touya ruffled Izuku’s hair affectionately before waving at them. “Take care of yourselves and don’t cause trouble while I’m gone.”

“You’re more likely to cause trouble.” Ochako told him wryly. Touya huffed another laugh before he said his goodbyes and left. Izuku watched him go silently, a little concerned, but otherwise more preoccupied with his other thoughts. 

He turned to his friends, “Katsuki and I will be heading out again today.”

“We won’t bother you, before you ask.” Momo said with a knowing smile. 

“Is it really a good idea to get so involved with him, though?” Shouto asked, looking a little uncomfortable. Izuku gave him a confused look.

“What? Why?” He asked.

“He’s not a bad guy.” Ochako pointed out, also confused.

“It’s not that.” Shouto shook his head. Something was clearly bothering him, but he didn’t look too willing to say it. “It’s just...he is the successor, after all. I’m worried.”

“Katsuki has been looking for reason behind the Calamity and the rot that seems to have invaded Atlantis.” Izuku explained, and now everyone looked to him in surprise. “But most Atlanteans seem to have forgotten how to read the runes. We’re working together because of this. I’m reading and he knows where to look.”

“Wait, they’ve forgotten how to read their own language?” Momo asked, startled.

“Is that why there aren’t signs or anything anywhere?” Ochako pondered aloud.

Izuku nodded. “It’s complicated, but I promise I’ll explain it to all of you what’s going on later. I want to find out a little bit more before I do, though. Just know that Katsuki and I aren’t...we’re not...we’re not just  _ fooling around _ during the time we were gone.” Izuku gave Ochako a strict look. She returned it with an innocent smile. 

“But you are doing  _ some _ fooling around.” She said.

“I told you we weren’t-!” Izuku cried, face a little red. Ochako and Momo laughed at him. “You have no room to talk!” He told them both. “You and Kyouka-”

Now Momo turned red. “N-No, it’s not- We’re not!”

“We’re not judging.” Shouto said calmly to reassure her.

“If it bothered us, we would be harassing Grunkle more.” Ochako added, also a lot more gently. Izuku still didn’t really understand the stigma against romantic same-sex relationships with the surface people. He had kept his own tastes quiet. Only his family had known.

“We’re not like that.” Momo still insisted, although it was a bit quieter. She shook her head.

Ochako decided to save her and changed the subject. “So you and Katsuki will be working together for a while?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how long it will take, but both of us are determined to find answers. Katsuki has apparently been looking into this for almost as long as I have.” Izuku said.

“So we might be here for a while.” Shouto said.

“Do you really think it’ll bother the others?” 

“It’s a possibility.”

“They’re being paid more than enough.” Momo said, sounding a little irritated.

“Yeah! I’m not even being paid for my work!” Ochako added.

“Because you refused.” Shouto pointed out.

“Obviously!” She huffed. “This is my history too!”

“We’re not actually related, Ochako.” Izuku told her, smiling a little as he felt warm from her words. 

“Blood or not, you’re family! And I want to know what happened to you just as much as you do!” She squeezed his arm.

“I know.” He assured her.

A new voice interrupted their conversation then, causing the group to pause as Katsuki approached them. He was wearing a similar outfit to yesterday. The light blue cloth seemed to be common in Atlantis, although the skirt had a different pattern on it. His feet were still bare, but he wore two golden anklets as well as the band on his arm. He looked a lot more well-rested than Izuku did. His expression was serious, though.

“Good morning!” The group chorused with Izuku’s being a little bit more enthusiastic. He then remembered his dream from last night and his eyes skittered away from Katsuki. He scratched at the back of his neck, head ducked as he glanced again at the successor.

“Morning.” He responded to all of them in their language. With his heavier accent, it was almost difficult to understand him. Izuku liked hearing how his vowels twisted with his accent. “Where’s the guy with the red hair and the girl with the pink hair?” He asked.

“Still asleep, probably. They like to sleep in.” Ochako said.

“Get them up then. The King has requested breakfast with all of us.” He paused and seemed to think over his words before saying, “I can tell them to wait for a little while if necessary.”

“It’s not!” Momo assured him quickly. “We’ll get them up. We would be honored to have breakfast with the King!”

Katsuki didn’t visibly show it, but Izuku had a feeling he appreciated the respect that Momo was granting their King. As if she would be rude at all, Izuku thought. “Then we will see you soon. One of the guards can show you to the dining hall.”

“I’ll go wake them.” Shouto offered, already moving to leave. 

“Can I come with you, Katsuki?” Izuku asked. “I have some questions I wanted to ask.”

Katsuki’s expression seemed to loosen up some as he regarded Izuku. “Yeah, sure. Follow me then. We’ll go ahead.”

“We’ll meet you there.” Momo said, her hand shooting out to grab Ochako and cover her mouth when the girl opened it to say something. Izuku shot her a grateful look as Katsuki was already turning to walk away. Ochako narrowed her eyes at Izuku.

“See you soon!” He told them, and then hurried to match pace with Katsuki.


	14. Chapter 14

“The King wants to eat with us?” Izuku asked as soon as he had joined up with Katsuki. He easily switched back to talking Atlantean with the other man. 

“Yeah, he caught me last night after we’d parted.” Katsuki said. His demeanor seemed to soften on the edges. “Since at the party he didn’t really get the chance to talk with anyone, he wanted to have breakfast instead.” He paused and then added with a little exasperation, “He’s probably missing my mother.”

“Your mother?” Izuku startled.

Katsuki waved his hand in a vague circle. “Yeah.”

So was Katsuki’s mother in a relationship with the King? Was that why he was the successor? Would Katsuki really be a prince as well if the two of them were together? Were they not married or anything? Izuku supposed that since the ages of Atlanteans were extended and they didn’t physically age very quickly, relationships would be a lot more common into later ages than they are on the surface. Humans died out so quickly up there that-

“You’re muttering.” Katsuki interrupted him with an irritated look. Izuku gave a sheepish smile and quickly stopped.

“Sorry. Um, bad habit.” He hoped that wasn’t too much of a turn off for Katsuki. It looked like he didn’t like it.

Whether it was or not, Katsuki didn’t say. Instead he said, “After breakfast if you have nothing to do, then we’ll head to the next place I want you to read the runes of.”

“Yeah! Of course.” Izuku agreed readily.

“I plan to ask the King more about what he may know as well.” Katsuki continued, a pensive frown on his face. “His memory is weakened just like all of ours, but he is one of the eldest of us. If anyone knows anything about the Heart, it is probably him.”

“Is that really breakfast conversation?” Izuku asked.

“What do you mean?” He looked to him with confusion.

“The Heart of Atlantis is something not mentioned in any books outside of Atlantis. That was the first I was ever hearing about it.” Izuku explained, putting a knuckle to his mouth in thought. “It’s possible that the Heart is a secret the Atlanteans kept from the outside. Which would make sense if it really is such a power source and a gift from the Gods themselves. Though I trust my friends, I doubt your King would want to bring up such a secret in casual conversation in front of a bunch of outsiders. Perhaps it’s better to wait until we can talk with him alone?”

Katsuki considered that. “Yes, that makes sense. I didn’t realize it wasn’t in any of your books.” The furrow of his eyebrows got deeper. “Then that makes the Heart all the more confusing…”

“Can we talk with the King alone today?”

“I’m not certain. Last night I had explained that I had made a breakthrough with my research and he seemed to be encouraging it. He said he would take care of my duties for me today as well considering I had plans to go out and do more searching.” 

“Damn.” Izuku sighed. “Then maybe tonight or tomorrow.”

“I’m eager as well, but it’s possible what we find will answer our questions first. Let’s focus on that.” Katsuki said, bringing a hand up to ruffle Izuku’s hair. The man flushed a little at the contact and glanced at Katsuki from beneath his fringe. He wanted to ask about their relationship as well, but he wasn’t sure how much he should bring up when people around them ran the risk of hearing. Admittedly the castle was emptier than Izuku would normally think a castle would be, but he didn’t know how private Katsuki was.

He looked around them to make sure nobody was nearby and pulled Katsuki to a stop by the hand. Katsuki blinked at him as Izuku led him over to one of the open window sills and sat down upon it. Katsuki raised an eyebrow but joined him without complaint. They still had a few minutes while the others were still getting ready to meet with the King. Izuku did not release his hand, happy to hold it and feel the different callouses he had on it no doubt from training with his weapons. 

“Katsuki...what is this between us?” Izuku asked quietly and somewhat nervously. “You...I understand what you had told me yesterday about it being...unusual...for you to pursue someone, but...I want to be clear about what this is. Is it just interest because I can read the runes? Is it sexual? R-Romantic? I...I’m not one to just jump into relationships, as I’m sure you have probably realized considering I don’t seem to be abnormal by Atlantean standards-”

Katsuki’s hand came up to cover Izuku’s mouth, shutting him up. Izuku’s eyes widened at the exasperated and irritated look Katsuki was giving him. “You’re rambling again.” Katsuki told him.

“Sorry.” Izuku mumbled against the skin of his palm. 

Katsuki leaned closer and dropped his hand to instead grip Izuku’s chin. Izuku’s pulse fluttered in his chest and throat as Katsuki said, “All of it. I’m interested in  _ you _ , Izuku. Stupid nerd.” 

“R-Really?” Izuku asked with delighted surprise before Katsuki kissed him. He let out a little gasp at the feeling of the successor’s lips upon his own. Katsuki pulled back when their noses smushed a little too uncomfortably together and adjusted them. Izuku allowed him to direct him, leaning forward on his hands between them and closing his eyes as Katsuki’s lips moved against his own. His head swam with soft pink sensation and butterfly-light warmth. Katsuki’s hand released Izuku’s chin to brush the back of his knuckles along the side of Izuku’s jaw, following it down to grab the back of his neck as he attempted to coax open Izuku’s mouth. Izuku went willingly with a hum and a sigh, first pulling Katsuki’s top lip between his own to nip at before releasing it and opening his mouth. 

Footsteps disturbed them before they could go further, though, and the two pulled back. Izuku could see that Katsuki was as flushed as he felt. He sucked his own lips in and licked them, never breaking eye contact with Katsuki as the man watched him with heated, molten red eyes. Izuku wanted to lean in again and kiss him a second time. He wanted to touch the exposed arms and chest of the other Atlantean, but he resisted as Katsuki’s eyes switched to watching who was coming down the hallway. It was a guard, who nodded at them both and continued on. 

Katsuki sighed a huff of breath before he stood. He held his hand out to Izuku to pull him to his feet as well. “Come. We can fool around later. It wouldn’t look good on either of us if we kept the King waiting.” He paused. “And if we did, he would tell my mother and I would never live it down.”

Izuku let out a laugh at that, thrilled that Katsuki didn’t seem intent on letting go of his hand yet as they both began walking down the hallway again. “Your mother sounds like a fearsome woman!”

“She is one of the most patient people I have ever met.” Katsuki corrected. “A little stupid, but kind and gentle and considerate.” He glanced at Izuku. “You remind me of her.”

Izuku’s eyes bugged. “I-I remind you of your  _ mom _ ?!” He didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about this admission. 

Katsuki must have seen where his mind was going with that because he scowled and snapped, “She’s not my birth mother, stupid!”

“That’s not much better!” He squeaked.

“By the Gods-  _ No _ , you foolish-!” Katsuki bit off his words and slapped his forehead. He muttered something under his breath that sounded like, “Even  _ that’s _ similar,” before he said louder, “What I mean is that you remind me of her in certain ways. But the attraction is  _ not _ something I feel towards her.”

Izuku cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his neck. “Y-Yeah, I get that. That makes sense…”

“Ugh. When you meet her, you will understand what I mean.” Katsuki sounded fed up.

Izuku squeezed Katsuki’s hand reassuringly before scooting in closer to him. He didn’t actually think Katsuki felt anything romantic towards his mother. He decided to change the subject quickly before he spoiled the mood between them even further. “She’s not your birth mother?” He asked gently.

Katsuki took to the new topic easily after just a few paces of walking in silence. “Yes. She adopted me after the Fall.”

“Your parents…”

“Did not survive, no. I cannot even remember what they had looked like.”

Izuku hesitated. “Because of your age or-”

“The rot.” Katsuki spat out. “I have vague memories of my childhood, so I know at least one of them should hold my mother and father. I may not remember their faces well, but I should at least remember something about them. Yet I do not. What I do know is through my adopted mother.” His voice softened some. “She was a very close friend of theirs. And she had lost her husband and her only son in the Fall. So she thought nothing of taking me, who had lost his mother and father, in.”

“That’s...wonderful. And so sad.” Izuku said quietly. Most Atlanteans still alive must have a story similar to that. How many had lost their friends and families? Most of the Atlantis Empire had been destroyed. All of them had to have a story like that. “I’m sure I’m probably the same way.”

Katsuki looked to him. There was no pity in his eyes. Instead there was only understanding. “I doubt you would be able to find them even if they were still alive. So many of us have been affected by the rot in many ways. And if you were swept away...you probably had not lived close to the castle.”

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked, confused.

“The light,” Katsuki explained, “I vaguely remember it as well. It was brief, but I had seen it as well before an adult at the time had grabbed me in an attempt to protect me. He had hidden my face into his chest so I could not see the wave coming for when it would hit us. Most of my own memories of that moment are scattered. But can tell based on what is left over from the Fall - what is not completely drowned, at least - that the light had had a limited range of protection. Everything you see that exists today was all closest to the castle. The upper and richer sections of the city. Anything outside of it has long since been destroyed. That meant if you were lost in the waters...your family must have lived outside of the richer sections. Not unless they were like my mother, who had been visiting the upper sections of the city at the time. Or unless they were like my parents, who had been hunting.”

“Ah,” Izuku said with understanding. He swallowed. “W-Well...I wasn’t, um, expecting to have a family reunion anyway.” He let out an awkward laugh, his heart feeling a little heavy despite the expectations that hadn’t even really been there. “I have Ochako. That’s what matters to me.”

“What of her parents?” Katsuki asked.

“They passed away from pneumonia a couple years back. I’ve been caring for her as she had aged into adulthood.” Izuku explained. “It was why she was so willing to come on this trip outside of the actual desire to find answers with me as well. I am the last of her family.”

“Oh.”

Izuku laughed a little to himself. “That, and I believe she has quite the crush on Shouto.”

“What will she do if you decide to stay here?” Katsuki asked, seemingly casually.

Izuku’s feet stuttered a little. He hadn’t even considered what he wanted to do about that situation. Katsuki brought up an intense question that Izuku needed to consider: did he return to the surface, or did he stay in the dying Atlantis with the rest of his people? He knew that he didn’t plan on leaving until he had his answers, but what about after that? If he found his answers at all, what did he plan to do then?

The answer was already in his heart, for the most part: he didn’t plan on leaving any time soon. Atlantis was beautiful, and it was his home. It could take him another century or two to figure out what had happened to Atlantis. He wanted to see his passion through to the end. And from there...then he could decide what he wanted to do.

“...I don’t know.” He confessed. “She knows how much I want to figure out what had happened to Atlantis and why. I think she already knows what will happen just as I do.”

“So you plan to stay?” Katsuki asked. Despite trying not to sound hopeful, Izuku could hear it. He smiled a little to himself as Katsuki determinedly kept his gaze turned away from him. Katsuki’s hand was sweaty.

“For as long as it takes.” Izuku said.

“...And after?”

“I’ll figure it out when I get there.” He squeezed Katsuki’s hand. “I’m not against being persuaded to stay, though.”

Katsuki came to an abrupt stop then, pulling Izuku to him with a sharp tug. The shorter man almost yelped when Katsuki caught him in another kiss. His tongue dragged across Izuku’s lower lip as his free hand slipped under Izuku’s shirt to caress his hip and side. Izuku’s body became alight with goosebumps as he groaned and opened his mouth to return the favor, but Katsuki abruptly pulled away.

“I can think up some reasons.” The successor murmured, his voice a little rougher than normal. His fingers slipped a little beneath the band of Izuku’s pants and underwear. Izuku’s body arched just a bit into the touch before the man fully pulled away. He had a proud look on his face that left Izuku feeling more bothered than it should. He knew his face was on fire. 

“Unfair.” He whispered.

Katsuki only let out a bark of a laugh. “You are easy, nerd!” He tugged on his hand to get him walking again. “Let’s go now. Enough fooling around.”

“That’s your fault!” Izuku snapped at him.

“Take some responsibility, Izuku! You are the distracting one.”

“I’d argue the opposite.” Izuku grumbled as they arrived at the doors to the dining hall. Katsuki only shot him one more superior and amused look before he knocked twice and opened the door. Izuku hoped that he didn’t look too much of a mess for the King.


	15. Chapter 15

The breakfast with Toshinori and the outsiders went fine. Toshinori had always been a personable King despite not always having the best people skills. He liked to make people smile even at the cost to himself. He was strong where it counted. And Katsuki had seen at that breakfast every year of his Kingship that had made him into who he was. Toshinori was physically a shell of the man he used to be, but his personality and tricks and experiences had not left him at all. Katsuki had watched as he had carefully pried information out of the newcomers with gentle and friendly fingers until the King had learned what he had wanted. And Katsuki had understood every bit of the information he had gathered.

The outsiders were definitely there in order to find out what had happened to Atlantis. More specifically, they had wanted to find the lost city of Atlantis. Izuku had been the soul of the operation, but Momo and Shouto and Touya had been the financers because they came from richer families. They did not come for treasure, but they had been expecting to find some and had had plans to bring it back to the surface as proof of their finds. Now that they knew the city was alive, though, they had no plans to ransack it. They respected the King and his people.

All of this Katsuki already knew. But it was clear that Toshinori was calmed by this information. They spoke true and honestly, though Shouto himself didn’t talk much. Katsuki kept a wary eye on the man because he seemed so sketchy. He would rarely talk around Katsuki, and even when he did he seemed nervous. Uncomfortable. A guilty conscience? There was something the man wasn’t saying, but he wasn’t going to pry just yet. Izuku clearly trusted him. He would have to ask Izuku later in private.

After breakfast Katsuki had bid farewell to Toshinori with the promise to bring him any new information. He also informed the man that he had questions he wanted to ask. Toshinori had nodded and promised to make time for him soon. Katsuki would check again in the evening. It was bad enough that he had to keep his secrets close to his chest for now, but Izuku had a point about keeping the information hidden from the outsiders. 

“Are you ready?” Izuku asked when the King had left. Katsuki watched his mentor go as the man had leaned heavily on his walking stick. The sight always sobered Katsuki some. The image of All Might in his prime was still fresh in his mind.

“Yeah.” Katsuki said as his gaze dragged from Toshinori back to Izuku. The man looked cute as all fuck today as well with his big green eyes and his handsome dark curls. One was twisted over his forehead in such a way that Katsuki wanted to tug on it. He wondered what it would be like to bury his hands into that hair and press Izuku up against the nearest flat surface. Remembering their kisses from earlier, he didn’t think Izuku had any kind of problems with the idea.

“Are you guys going exploring again today?” Currently the most irritating being in existence in the form of Izuku’s niece asked as she joined the two men. She had an innocent look in her eye, but Katsuki wasn’t sure if it was real or not. He wouldn’t put it past the woman to somehow read Katsuki’s thoughts and know just when he’s feeling horny enough so that she can interrupt at the worst time possible. 

Izuku nodded, of course ignorant of the fact that this was supposed to be a fucking date even though he  _ should _ know since he had been the one to ask for it. The scowl was already in place on Katsuki’s face. “Katsuki had a few places to show me today.”

“Can I come too? I might be able to help! I can read some words.” Ochako asked. “Maybe Shouto too?” She glanced back at the man who had been hovering on the periphery of the conversation. Katsuki glared at the man, who didn’t meet his eyes. 

Shouto shook his head. “I’m fine-”

“You should look too, Shouto! It’s your history as well!” Izuku suggested. Both Katsuki’s and Shouto’s heads whipped to him in shock.

“Izuku-”

“Nerd-” Both men began at the same time and stopped. They looked at each other, and then back at Izuku. The man only smiled and didn’t seem to notice the tension.

Ochako hopped over and pulled Shouto closer to the group by the arm. She kept her own arms wrapped around him as she smiled widely. “It can be the four of us! We won’t be a bother, I promise!”

“Yeah right.” Katsuki sneered at her and hooked a thumb into the top of his skirt to glare. “Whatever. Let’s get going while we have daylight.” 

“Right!” Izuku agreed. Three of them said goodbyes to the rest of their friends before the four left together. Katsuki could feel his bad mood hovering around him like a dark storm, but the others seemed to pay no mind to it. So much for a second date. Was Izuku actually some kind of idiot? Or was he too kind for his own good? It was probably a mixture of both considering who Katsuki was talking about here. Stupid Izuku.

His bad mood only began to burn off slightly when they did get closer to where Katsuki had planned to take Izuku. It was a gorgeous area close to where the waterfalls toppled over the edge and into the lava far below. Here the bridges were broken and stone from shattered buildings created the pathways that Katsuki wanted to take. They could take a boat, but this close to the waterfalls ran the risk of them being pulled over if they weren’t careful. Katsuki stopped them on top of the last broken bridge they could stand on before they needed to start navigating over the islands of stone to get to the building that was half-sunken in the distance.

“We’re going there!” Katsuki called over the rush of the waterfall, pointing to the building.

“What is it?” Izuku asked, already up for the challenge. Katsuki raised an eyebrow at Ochako and Shouto to see if they were gonna follow through as well. Other than Shouto eyeing the waterfall, neither of them looked particularly nervous. Ochako was frowning with thought.

“A library.” Katsuki explained. Izuku’s head shot towards him with a glimmer in his eyes that made Katsuki’s heart speed up a little bit. He understood that excitement. “Most of the books are destroyed, but some might still be legible.”

“Sorry,” Ochako interrupted, “but can you guys speak so I can understand you?” She sounded apologetic. “I don’t know enough Atlantean to catch everything you’re saying…”

“Oh, sorry.” Izuku quickly switched. “Katsuki said it’s a library over there. We’re gonna see if there’s any books we can read.”

“Oh! Okay!” Ochako nodded.

“You should take off your footwear.” Katsuki recommended, placing aside his own irritated feelings for the safety of his followers. “You’ll move better with bare feet.”

“It looks dangerous.” Shouto pointed out even as he and Ochako moved to remove their shoes and leave them on the bridge.

“Don’t slip, then.”

“Katsuki.” Izuku scolded gently. Katsuki ignored him.

“Follow me carefully.” He said, and leapt off of the bridge. He hit the water, but he was saved from the rushing current by a high chunk of building. He climbed on top of it and waited for the others to follow. 

Izuku said something to Ochako and Shouto. They responded before Shouto jumped first. He hit the water and didn’t reappear as quickly as Katsuki. He managed to grab the stone without too much effort and climbed up as well. Ochako and Izuku followed soon after. Katsuki looked at their soaked clothes and knew they wouldn’t be dry for a long while. He only rolled his eyes at their thick clothing before nodding for them to follow him. 

The path itself wasn’t difficult to maneuver as long as they were careful. Katsuki had to slow himself significantly so that the others could keep up and watch his steps, but in the end they all made it to the library. There was an open window in the side that Katsuki slipped into and slid down one of the pillars that supported the inside of the library until he hit one floor. It was crumbling, but steady. The incline was sharp, but Katsuki knew he could use the inlaid bookshelves to climb back out. His crystal glowed brightly to provide plenty of light in the dim room.

“This is amazing!” Izuku cried once he was down beside Katsuki. The library was mostly flooded with the lower floors being completely submerged. What scrolls that had been in the water had long since disintegrated. Some were rotted. Very few were still surviving. Katsuki had rescued some to bring home, but it was too dangerous to move them in huge batches. He would show Izuku those later.

“Your crystal is glowing so brightly!” Ochako pointed out.

“They’re supposed to be this bright.” Katsuki said. “Yours are the ones that are abnormal.”

“Any idea why?” Shouto asked.

“We have theories,” Izuku hedged before Katsuki could say anything, “but nothing concrete.” He was moving along the shelves and gently touching the scrolls. Most of the books did not have the hard covers that Izuku seemed to have like on his notebook. Katsuki followed him as the others carefully pulled out scrolls to unravel them. Ochako let out a little yelp as one fell apart in her hands. She gave Katsuki a terrified look, clearly expecting him to be upset, but it had happened to Katsuki so many times before that he couldn’t blame her.

Izuku managed to get one open and his eyes skimmed it. The ink on the pages were also faded with age and rot. He frowned at it and then sighed. “I can’t read it. It’s so worn.”

“I figured.” Katsuki grumbled. “I have some in my room that I have managed to save. But there are things here you might be able to do something with.”

“Like?” Izuku asked. 

“These.” Katsuki glanced back at the other two and saw they were both studying some kind of figurine they had found. He motioned for Izuku to follow him and climbed over the edge of the balcony to get to the other side. There were more figurines over there made out of metal that had rusted. They were in the shape of fish and creatures. Their blue eyes were rubbed off. Their moving parts had long since stopped functioning.

“Whoa.” Izuku whispered, kneeling down to look at them better. Katsuki heard Ochako and Shouto approaching then.

“Are these actual animals?” Ochako asked, holding up a different figure. This one was made of stone and seemed to be near a person of some sort.

“I don’t know. They look like animals, but animals don’t have these decorative features. Why would they be in the library?” Katsuki asked as he pointed to the strange metalwork that laced across the animals. 

“Art, maybe?” Shouto suggested.

“Maybe.” Ochako said. “They’re amazing, though!”

“They’re not animals.” Izuku said. He was focused on the runes that were engraved in the metal of the base of the animals. He had to wipe off moss that had grown on it. “They’re...vehicles?” He sounded confused. “That’s a loose translation.” He added.

“Vehicles?” Katsuki repeated back, not understanding the word.

Izuku stood up again with a curious frown on his face. “Yeah. They call them something like vehicles.”

“What are those?” Katsuki asked, frustrated.

Izuku switched languages for a proper translation. “Automobile.” He switched back. “Have you seen anything like these before, Katsuki?”

“Yeah.” Katsuki said, confused as well. They could move on their own? “I’ve found a number of them around the city. None of them move on their own, though.”

“If they’re a vehicle, that means people have ridden them!” Ochako said. “Maybe we can get it to work again!”

“Ride them?” Katsuki asked. “Wouldn’t they just be, I don’t know, moving art or some shit?”

Ochako shook her head. Izuku quickly explained, “The translation is different. But Ochako may be right. It could be art, but maybe it  _ is _ a way to get around!” He was getting excited. “Atlantis was known for their genius and their abilities to create. With the magic from these crystals that can heal and glow, maybe they  _ made _ vehicles! It was an empire, after all and-”

He froze suddenly. The others looked to him. “Oh my Gods.” He said. “The flying fish. From my dream!”

“Flying fish?” Shouto and Katsuki asked, before glancing at each other for speaking at the same time.

“You saw flying fish in your dream of the Calamity!” Ochako cried, gasping with shock. “With people on them!”

“Yeah yeah!” Izuku nodded quickly and he spun on Katsuki to grab his forearms. “Katsuki, can you take us to one of the fish?! We might be able to get it to work!”

Ochako pushed past Shouto to also get in Katsuki’s face. “I’m an expert on vehicles! If anyone can get it going, it’s me! Magic or not!”

“Fuck!” Katsuki shook them both off. “Fine! I’ll take you! Calm down. You really think these things will still work?”

“We’ll make it work.” Izuku and Ochako said together with determination sparkling in both of their eyes. Despite not being related by blood, Katsuki really did see the resemblance between the two of them then.

Katsuki trusted them. “Then follow me and don’t slow me down!”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter!

Katsuki was right in that the fish vehicles were everywhere. He led the way back onto the island and only had to take them a little ways away to find three of them just on the ground. Sand and dirt had covered the bottoms of them from weathering and plants had grown around them. The four of them worked together to clear the strange vehicle of any debris and then they stood back.

If Izuku had to compare it to something, it reminded him of a giant perch. Bits of it seemed broken off, probably from aging. Or the rot, perhaps. Izuku didn’t know how long the vehicles lasted, after all. He couldn’t tell what kind of material it was made of, but he knew it was some type of stone. Ochako was already on top of the thing and running her hands over it. He knew she was looking for some kind of panel on it.

“There are a couple different shapes.” Shouto pointed out as he moved to another and cleared away a little bit of vines and moss. The one he was looking at was sleeker and longer. The mouth wasn’t open. It looked more like a hammerhead shark.

“Aesthetic?” Izuku suggested. “I wonder when these were made. And how long Atlantis had them? Vehicles like the ones we drove in on have only been around for a couple decades. These had to have been made before the Calamity if I can remember seeing them.”

“I don’t remember seeing anything like this.” Katsuki said as he crossed his arms. He was glaring a little at the vehicles. 

“That could be the rot.” Izuku pointed out. He got closer as well once Ochako finished her initial inspection without any results. He ran his hand over it. There was definitely a seat almost like a saddle or like a motorcycle. He climbed on it as Ochako stuck her head into the open mouth of the fish. His eyes caught onto some kind of shape on the flat surface in front of him. He eagerly started reading the runes that encircled it.

“Have you ever tried to get one of these to work, Katsuki?” Ochako asked as she came back out of the mouth with a frown on her face. “I can’t find any sort of engine. It looks like it’s made almost completely of stone. It should be too heavy to fly, though. It doesn’t have anything similar to an airplane, Grunkle Izuku.”

Izuku didn’t respond as he read.

“Of course I tried to get it to work.” Katsuki said with a scowl as he approached, agitated. “I’ve tried everything I can think of!”

“You put your crystal into the slot?” Izuku suggested as he read the instructions. His fingers traced the edge of a hole right below the runes he was reading. It was the perfect size and shape for one of the crystal necklaces.

“Yes, yes I did that!”

“And turned it to three-quarters to the right?”

“Yes!” Katsuki flung his hand out impatiently. Ochako leaned around Izuku’s side to see what he was looking at and hopped on behind him. Shouto joined to stand next to them. His own eyes skimmed the writing.

“While your hand was on the inscription panel?” 

“Ye-” Katsuki froze. “...No.” He turned back to Izuku with a frown and approached.

“Well there’s your mistake.” Izuku said, sitting back in his seat with a proud smile. “It’s an easy thing to miss-”

“Shut the fuck up, nerd.” Katsuki grumbled before Izuku’s bragging could go too far.

“I wonder if it still works?” Ochako asked.

“Just a sec.” Izuku pulled off his own crystal. Excitement thrummed in his veins. He could feel the anticipation from his companions vibrating the air around him. He inserted his crystal into the slot and mumbled to himself as he read, “Gently place hand on inscription panel…” He placed his hand on the panel and then turned the crystal three-quarters to the right.

There was an unpleasant rush that went through Izuku. His heart constricted and his air was ripped from his body. A weak but potent electric shock ran through him and he let out a pained noise, his body curling in on himself. His ears rang loudly as hands came up to grab him. He couldn’t hear anything over the sharp, high pitch in his ears. He registered that he was being pulled back and against someone. He squeezed his eyes, gasping for air against the mild but persistent pain in his chest. 

“-kle!” He first heard Ochako’s voice cry.

“Izuku!” Shouto called. There was a cool hand on Izuku’s face. He blinked his eyes open as the unpleasant sensation in his chest began to fade away. It took him a few moments to see again. Katsuki, Shouto, and Ochako were all hovering over him. He was laying down on the forest floor now. A ray of light from above was shining down through the canopy above them to backlight them. Izuku thought Katsuki looked rather handsome like that for all of his worried look on his face.

“I’m okay.” He said once he got his breath back. 

“What happened?” Katsuki asked seriously. Ochako tried to get Izuku to lay back down when he began to sit up, but he waved her off. He was already feeling better. He noticed then that Katsuki had shoved a glowing hand up Izuku’s shirt and had rested it on his chest. Izuku didn’t understand for a moment before he realized.

“Were you trying to heal me?” He asked instead of answering.

Katsuki scowled at him. “You looked like you were in pain!”

Izuku blinked. He wasn’t sure what had happened to him. He grabbed Katsuki’s hand and held it despite the ridiculous position and gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Katsuki.”

Katsuki nodded and pulled his hand out and away. Izuku fixed his shirt. “What happened to you, Grunkle Izuku?” Ochako asked again.

“I’m not sure.” He said. “It just...It hurt. Not a lot but...I felt weird. Bad weird.”

“Maybe the vehicle is faulty.” Shouto suggested.

Izuku shook his head. He had another theory. “Or my crystal can’t power it.” He met Katsuki’s eyes. He didn’t yet want to say aloud what he had learned. They had decided to keep it somewhat of a secret at least until they spoke to the King. He knew Katsuki would know what he meant.

“Why would it hurt you if your crystal can’t power it?” Shouto asked, holding his own crystal. 

“I...I don’t know.” Izuku lied because he didn’t want to speak his theory aloud. He would bring it up with Katsuki when he could. He looked to Katsuki instead. “You should try it. I think you’ll have better results.”

“Grunkle Izuku.” Ochako said sternly and put her fists on her hips. Izuku winced and gave her a sheepish smile because he knew that tone. It had been passed down from generations in Ochako’s family. “If I learned anything about working with vehicles, it’s that if you get  _ shocked _ then you don’t make the same attempt twice! Katsuki’s attempt could end worse if it really  _ is _ because of the crystal!”

“Or it’ll work fine.” Katsuki said, already standing up. Shouto stood and held out a hand to Izuku. Seeing this, Katsuki did the same thing. Izuku didn’t want to be rude, so he grabbed both and let both men pull him to his feet. Katsuki scowled at Shouto, who only blinked at him before looking away. “Let’s try this again.”

The four of them approached, although Ochako still didn’t look happy with it, and Katsuki pulled off his crystal. He repeated Izuku’s actions, but this time there were significantly better results. They gasped and stepped back as the panel under Katsuki’s hand lit up, and the decorative engravings on the fish began to glow that same familiar light blue. The eyes of and mouth of the fish began to glow as well. Katsuki pulled his crystal out and stepped back as the vehicle shifted and began to hover about a foot off of the ground.

“Holy shit.” Katsuki said in Atlantean.

“You can say that again.” Shouto agreed.

“That’s AMAZING!” Izuku cried with excitement, already moving around the vehicle. “Look at this thing! It’s floating on its own!”

“I’ve never seen anything like it!” Ochako cried. “Listen to how silent it is! There’s no engine? It’s powered by the crystals? The crystals really  _ are _ magic then!” 

“They have to be!” Izuku agreed. “How do you think it moves?” He leaned over the fish to look at the panel again. It didn’t really say how to use the thing. 

“Maybe this-?” Ochako began and pressed a finger firmly onto the pad. The vehicle shot off abruptly, causing Shouto to yank Ochako back and Katsuki to grab Izuku away before the fins of the fish could clip him. The vehicle ricochet off of a tree, then the side of a cliff, and finally a boulder before launching at the four. They dove to the ground to avoid being hit when the vehicle crashed in a blue explosion, lightning shooting off of it. When Izuku lifted his head from where he was protecting himself with his arms and out from under Katsuki, who had dove to try to cover him as well, he saw that the vehicle was now half-buried in a crater. 

They climbed to their feet warily and approached the vehicle. It made a soft, high noise before the glow left it. There was a crackling sound before it slowly began to list to the side. The four of them scrambled away just in case before the thing fell with a muted crash onto its side. The front of it had been completely destroyed. The stone was crumpled under the attack. The vehicle did not move anymore.

“Guess that’s how it works…” Shouto muttered.

“Fuck.” Katsuki grumbled. Izuku only sighed.

“Oops…” Ochako said with a wince when the three men looked at her disapprovingly. “Um...food, anyone?”


	17. Chapter 17

Midday turned into evening time with the four of them still exploring together. Katsuki still didn’t really like having the tagalongs, but he found himself enjoying his time nonetheless. Between Izuku’s reading ability, Ochako apparently knowing how to get him thinking, and Shouto’s occasional input, the four of them learned a number of things together.

The vehicles - the ketak and the aktirak for the different types - were for the most part still useable. None of them dared risk use one until they could practice, though. Unfortunately, only Katsuki’s crystal worked on them. And it was draining for him to do it multiple times, so he put a stop to it quickly. They did learn he could turn on a couple at a time, but they lost power if he moved too far from them. They were probably connected to his crystal’s source of power just like Izuku suspected. Shouto and Izuku’s crystals were not powerful enough to power any of them. Katsuki didn’t want Izuku trying it again after the last time. He wasn’t sure if his healing actually helped Izuku, but he didn’t want to take that risk. He could only heal so much on his own.

They went to eat together and discuss their findings. Izuku did end up explaining the rot more so as to catch Shouto and Ochako up on what they knew. After some time, their conversation had quickly turned into talking about things that happened on the surface. Ochako explaining her schooling and the sexism towards her being a mechanic. Izuku speaking of his travels before he had run out of money and he had met Shouto. And then finally Shouto hesitantly bringing up his family. He seemed so unwilling to talk about it, though.

Ochako called him out on it, “Shouto, what’s wrong? Why have you been avoiding talking about your mom?”

“Ochako!” Izuku scolded gently with a sigh that came from having experienced her bluntness on more than one occasion. Katsuki took a deep gulp of his juice. “I mean…” Izuku cautiously continued while peeking at Shouto, “I was...wondering that too. You’re not excited?” 

Shouto was silent for a long moment, gazing at his food. The table was silent while they waited. Katsuki wanted to just yell at the man to speak up already. If he had some kind of problem with Katsuki or Atlantis, he wanted to know! But being diplomatic meant not doing that. He had to be polite to the guests of their kingdom. And being polite usually meant Katsuki keeping his mouth shut and letting others speak for him.

“That’s not it.” Shouto finally said. He looked uncomfortable. “It’s...My mother’s stories of Atlantis are...complicated. And while I have always wanted to see the place my mother was born and to try to glimpse the stories she used to tell, I had not expected anyone to still be alive.”

“So what, you have a problem with us?” Katsuki demanded, unable to hold his tongue despite his previous thoughts.

“No.” Shouto said, not rising to Katsuki’s antagonistic tone, “I like Atlantis. More than I thought I ever would.” He looked around them, taking in the sights of the open-air restaurant and the world out beyond it. Katsuki didn’t look away from him as he took a large bite from the seeded bread and chewed. “But my mother always spoke of this place with sadness that was...like she was scared of it.”

“Trauma, maybe?” Ochako suggested gently.

Shouto shook his head. He looked conflicted briefly before confessing, “She wasn’t...She left Atlantis before the Calamity. Her and the rest of her family.”

“What?” Izuku asked with shock. “But I thought she was just like me!”

“From what I can tell she and her family left Atlantis shortly before the Calamity.” Katsuki frowned. That was some coincidental timing. “She never told me why, though. I just know that she was scared of something.”

“I thought you didn’t have any family outside of your siblings?” 

“We don’t. Her line died out while I was still young. I never met them. She didn’t keep in touch with them.”

“Why the fuck is your family so mysterious?” Katsuki asked.

Shouto shrugged. “I wish I knew. I was half-hoping to find out while I was here. Maybe something about our family. I believe they were fairly wealthy before they left, but I’m not completely certain.”

“We’d have to figure out this rot then.” Izuku said. “Most of Atlantis’s population can barely remember anything from the past. If we can fix that, maybe we can find the answers you’re looking for as well, Shouto?”

“I don’t think it could bring back memories.” Katsuki said.

“With all of this magic around, anything is possible!”

“I’m not even sure if finding out would be a good idea… Touya is under the impression her fear comes from the ruling class.” He looked to Katsuki. Katsuki stiffened and put down his eating implements to glare at him.

“I haven’t done shit to your family.”

“Obviously.” Shouto responded. “I know that now considering you are not directly related to the King. That, and you would’ve been too young to remember.” He paused. “If you were around Izuku’s age. I just realized I don’t know how old you are.”

Katsuki, who was used to judging the ages of those around him, glanced at Izuku up and down. “We’re probably the same age. I was just a lad during the Fall. You were as well, right?”

Izuku nodded. “They told me I looked to be four or five in terms of normal human years.”

“Ah.” Shouto said. “That’s understandable then.”

“Don’t act like it’s normal!” Ochako protested. “You guys talk like you were so young, but you’re basically ancient!”

“We just hit our peak ages and stay there for a very long time, Ochako.” Izuku explained, sounding like he wasn’t explaining this for the first time. Katsuki blinked at him in surprise. He hadn’t known that. But in retrospect, that made sense. As far as he could tell he hadn’t changed much in the past couple centuries. “Chances were that Katsuki and I really  _ were _ four or five years old when the Calamity hit.”

“Unless the rot has caused us to age progressively faster.” Katsuki suggested.

Izuku opened his mouth and then closed it with a frown, placing a knuckle to his chin. “That’s...a possibility as well. I hadn’t thought of that. After all, our King is…”

“King Toshinori is an exception.” Katsuki said swiftly, cutting off that thought. “He isn’t...as old as he appears. Although he is certainly one of our eldest.”

“What do you mean?” Ochako asked.

But Katsuki didn’t respond. This was not the place to discuss what had happened to Toshinori. He would tell Izuku later because it was part of the puzzle Katsuki was still trying to solve, but he would not tell these outsiders. Especially if Shouto’s family were possibly enemies. He saw no reason for Shouto’s family to fear King Toshinori - or, actually Queen Nana, considering the time frame - unless they had been enemies. He would keep an eye on both Touya and Shouto, although it appeared Shouto was ignorant. 

“The rot has affected him badly.” He decided to say instead so as to not give away too much. “King Toshinori used to be very different in appearance. That’s all you need to know.” He pushed away from the table and dropped money onto it. He was done eating, having lost his appetite. The memory of what had happened to Toshinori was still in Katsuki’s head. The mystery of it sickened him with both worry and anger and fear. Nothing good to eat with.

“Wait, I’ll come with you Katsuki.” Izuku said with worry in his eyes, but Katsuki held up his hand.

“No. I want to be alone.” Izuku gave him a hurt and concerned look. Katsuki didn’t really want to leave Izuku’s side, but he also knew that it would be better if he was around nobody then. He didn’t bother to apologize and instead just left. He was greeted by the common folk as he walked through town and ran a hand through his hair. Already he was feeling just a bit lonely.

His mind was confused. It seemed like with every step forward he took, there were two more steps back. Who exactly was Shouto and his family? The timing of them leaving shortly before the Fall was far too convenient. Katsuki had been taught to notice things such as that. Did Shouto’s family somehow know that the Fall had been coming? Was that why his mother was so fearful of Queen Nana and Toshinori?

It could possibly be a stretch. What Katsuki really needed to do was to talk with Toshinori himself. The King had said he would try to make time for Katsuki. Perhaps talking with him alone first would be preferable. Typically Katsuki didn’t need to wait as long if it was just him personally speaking to the King because of their relationship to each other. He was allowed in his quarters. Going back first might be the thing to do.

The real problem was if Toshinori would actually tell him anything. Toshinori knew more than he let on, but he refused to tell Katsuki everything. It was his trial to solve as the successor. And Katsuki needed to solve this mystery and stop the rot before it was too late. He needed to take his rightful place on the throne before Toshinori died and before his kingdom fell before he could even begin to rule it. How much could Toshinori tell him, and how much was he forbidden to do so? Even at the cost of the destruction of their people? What exactly was Toshinori hiding?

Katsuki rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. What he wanted to do was talk with his mother. Her memory was bad just like everyone’s but she actually believed in the rot. Over the years her advice and input had always helped to straighten Katsuki’s head out. She would remember more of the royal classes. And unlike Toshinori, she could speak freely about her memories and what she knew. It may be limited, but it would be helpful.

What would she think of these outsiders? What would she think of Izuku? He was sure she would be thrilled that Katsuki was finally interested in somebody. She might be a little disappointed that Izuku wasn’t a female so they could produce children, but that was something that wouldn’t last long. Izuku...Katsuki was sure he would get along well with his mother. The two of them were similar in so many ways. Even if now the thought of it grated at Katsuki because now he had to wonder if he liked how similar Izuku was to his mother. He shook his head violently to brush off the thought.

Katsuki came to a stop in a courtyard. The forest hung above him and blocked out the view of the castle that he knew wasn’t too far away. He climbed over one of the larger, thicker vines and pushed aside some large tree leaves. A lizard the size of his leg skittered away, startling him, but then he saw that it was harmless. It disappeared into the foliage. There he heard a yelp. 

Katsuki sighed through his nose and turned a glare back towards the noise. Izuku was there with a sheepish look on his face, his cheeks darkened from being caught. The evening sun turned the blue atmosphere darker. Izuku brushed his curls out of his face and approached a little closer to Katsuki in the courtyard.

“Sorry...I followed you.” He said in Atlantean.

“Clearly.” Katsuki bit back. “Do you not fucking listen?”

“You looked like you had a lot on your mind. I just...I thought maybe you would like someone to listen?” Izuku suggested, fidgeting with his fingers. 

Katsuki grabbed his own braid and tugged on it in frustration before releasing it. “I was hoping to think alone.”

“Oh…”

Gods  _ dammit _ how dare he be so cute while sounding so disappointed. His entire figure seemed to droop in disappointment and sadness at the thought of upsetting Katsuki. Either that, or Katsuki was seeing it that way. Both were horrible and stupid to think about in their own ways.

“I’m fine with you staying, though.” He added with a grumble, already moving to throw himself onto a fallen pillar. It was quiet here where the growth of the forest was so thick it blocked out a lot of outside sound. Izuku perked up and a small smile came across his face. Katsuki closed his eyes and resisted the urge to hit himself. Instead he waited until Izuku was close enough and then captured him. Izuku made a surprised noise as Katsuki wrapped his arms around his waist and gazed up at the other man. Izuku’s face was absolutely delicious to look at.

“What bothered you so much, Katsuki?” He asked with a soft voice. 

“There is...a lot I haven’t told you yet.” Katsuki said. He tugged Izuku closer. Izuku inched forward some but he couldn’t get any closer without climbing into Katsuki’s lap. Katsuki entertained the idea of getting him to do so, but the fallen pillar wasn’t the most comfortable spot to do so. Instead he pressed his hand to Izuku’s lower back and rubbed at it a little. “Much of it I want to wait until I’ve spoken with the King.”

“Did he say if he could meet with us tonight?” Izuku asked hopefully. His body was relaxing under Katsuki touch. Unbidden his mind was brought back to the previous night and his thoughts as he had pleasured himself before falling asleep. Imaginary Izuku wasn’t quite as lovely as the real thing, but he was certainly more enthusiastic. And a little more focused on Katsuki’s desires rather than what they were talking about. Katsuki couldn’t fault him for staying on track, though.

“He said he would try. I need to ask him again this evening. I will be taking dinner with him, so it would be a good time. I will ask if you can join us.”

“It’s already getting late.” Izuku pointed out. “And we just ate.”

“No, it’ll be a few hours yet until dinner. And I didn’t eat that much because I knew this.”

“I didn’t know this.” He grumbled.

“I didn’t tell you.” Katsuki said with a smirk before he decided he had been patient enough. He slid his hand up Izuku’s back and pressed down to encourage him to lean forward. Izuku blinked before he seemed to understand what Katsuki wanted. He leaned forward to bar Katsuki between his arms and accept the offered kiss. He hummed a little into it as Katsuki grabbed the back of his shirt. In his mind’s eye he could see Izuku wearing proper Atlantean clothes. He would look much better in them. 

Izuku leaned a little more into it, shifting so his knee was between Katsuki’s legs on the pillar. Katsuki’s lips turned up as the kiss deepened and he got Izuku’s mouth open. He leaned back a little bit and supported himself with his other arm as his hand slipped from Izuku’s shirt and up to his neck. It wasn’t a position that was comfortable for either of them really, but Katsuki enjoyed it while it lasted.

Izuku pulled back first with ruddy cheeks and a slightly dopey smile on his face. Katsuki pulled him back in for another quick kiss, shifting to move himself to a better position, but then thought better of it as his concerns came back to his head. He pulled back but not far from Izuku, the frown on his face deep with his thoughts. Izuku paused, smile dropping away at the sight.

“What is it?” He asked with concern.

Katsuki sighed and released Izuku, who stood up so he was no longer hovering over Katsuki. “It’s not this.” He clarified with a wave of his hand to brush off any of Izuku’s thoughts that this was what was bothering him. “I can’t fucking get over what Shouto had said.”

“About his mother and his family?” Izuku asked.

“Yeah.”

Izuku sat down next to him on the pillar. The humid air was getting a little nippy as the sun was setting. The intensity of the heat was burning off. Izuku dropped his hands into his lap and rubbed at his arm some. “...Do you want to talk about it?”

They were alone here. Katsuki wished that he could just properly spend time with his lover how he wished, but his mind would not quiet down. That, and there would be time for that later. He couldn’t show up in front of the King looking a mess after fooling around with Izuku in the wilds. He wouldn’t have time for clean up afterwards. Katsuki would rather get these thoughts from his head. And he did want to hear what Izuku had to say on the matter. Even if it was about his friend.

“Yeah.” Katsuki said, and then he began to explain.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be a serious chapter but it turned thirsty real fast

“In the past, being the successor to whoever ruled the throne was a simple process. The successor proved they were worthy of inheriting the throne because they were trained and taught by the current ruler. Their place was secured based on their ability and whatever the ruler deemed as right for the whoever was to hold the throne next. The ruler was meant to choose a successor who would do right by the empire.” Katsuki said. Izuku silently climbed up onto the pillar beside him and watched him. Katsuki stared down at the little beetles that formed lines and marched their way over the grass and moss. “At least, that is what our King has told me.”

“What’s different, then?” Izuku asked. “Was he wrong?”

“No.” Katsuki shook his head. “The tradition is still being followed even with me but...it’s different. Everything is different. And the Gods…” he stopped, scowled, and backed up, “Our King was told to do my test differently. I had to prove myself in a different way.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. “Did the Gods somehow tell…?”

“I don’t know. Not for sure. Nobody does.” Katsuki looked up instead at the sky. It was darkening. Through the trees he could see lanterns coming to life. He felt secluded with Izuku. Alone. Comfortable despite the topic. “About a hundred years ago, our King went out to talk to the Gods. Nobody knows where he went. He just...disappeared. Then, a few days later, he returned to the castle. My mother found him collapsed in the throne room and as wane as you see him today.” 

“Wane?”

“Our King was the strongest of all of us. His strength was unparalleled. He was a massive man who could probably lift this pillar we are sitting on all on his own. With us on it, too.”

“No way!”

“Seriously.” Katsuki said. He puffed up a little bit, talking about his mentor and his pride for him. “He was and still is beloved by our people for his kindness and his strength. But he lost all of that when he went to speak to the Gods. His strength, his health...it’s all gone. As if the rot had taken him as well. It was...a blow to our people that many couldn’t handle. An ill omen. After all, why would the Gods strike down our King?”

Izuku’s fists curled against his pants. He could barely imagine the frail, skeletal King as someone like who Katsuki was describing. And only one hundred years ago? It churned his stomach. “Did he succeed? In contacting them?”

“Yes.” Katsuki said, angry. “He told me that he had succeeded. But he could not speak of what they had talked about.” His fist came down on the pillar hard. “He told me that I must seek the answer to what had caused Atlantis’s downfall. The Gods bid that upon me. And if I can succeed in my quest and if I can find out why the Gods were angered in the first place, I will earn my right as King and I’ll be able to save our people.”

“But why did he go to the Gods then?” Izuku asked, confused. This was such a huge task for Katsuki. And with very little starting point. He couldn’t even read his own language. What would have occurred if Izuku had not come? 

“He sought to beg forgiveness for our transgressions. To stop the rot that has taken hold of us. And in a way, he did.” Katsuki closed his eyes for a long moment, and then reopened them. “The rot was worse before. It was killing us at a much faster pace. It has slowed significantly since then, but it is still occurring. Our King succeeded in finding a way to prolong us and possibly save us, but I must go the rest of the way.”

“How, though?” He asked quietly. “You have so little to work with…”

“We have already made great progress.” Katsuki said, meeting Izuku’s eyes. “It has been only a short time, but we have already made significant discoveries. I can feel it that we are getting closer. I suspect with you by my side and with our newfound knowledge, we may be able to get more information out of our King.” He hopped off of the pillar and held out his hand to Izuku. Izuku took it and let him help him off. Katsuki pulled him to him then, and Izuku’s heart fluttered in his chest. “Our King cannot just tell me what I am looking for. I suspect these are stipulations that the Gods have put on him.” His voice lowered, darkened, “Possibly to make my already-difficult life even worse, like the fickle creatures that those Gods are.”

Izuku gasped and hissed, “Katsuki! You speak ill-”

“Hush.” Katsuki said, snapping his teeth at him. Izuku blinked. Katsuki looked surly. “Speak no more of it. I said nothing of the sort about the Gods. I spoke only the truth.”

Izuku had a feeling that the Gods might treat Katsuki cruelly for his own disgust towards them. It sounded like a vicious cycle. But then again, Izuku didn’t blame him for his anger. It sounded as if Katsuki was tasked with something that had been out of his league from the beginning. He had possibly been set up for failure. 

He decided it best not to keep talking about it. He didn’t want to risk cursing them both. “Do you think our King will speak more then once we bring our information to him?”

“The King must know about the Heart.” Katsuki said, seemingly pleased with the topic moving on. His arms dropped to Izuku’s waist, holding him very close to him. Izuku hadn’t been held in such a way in a very long time. And certainly not by a man. He rather liked it, what with Katsuki being taller and more built than he was. He laid his hands on the man’s chest, debating if he should wrap his arms around his waist as well. The fact that he had bare skin under his fingertips made his hands feel electrified in the best of ways. He blinked, trying not to be distracted as Katsuki’s fingers played at his belt and the dip of his lower back. “If the common people knew of it, then he certainly will.”

“But will he remember it?” Izuku questioned.

  
“I don’t know. That’s something to find out.” His fingers teased at Izuku’s shirt, inching it out of his pants to touch bare skin. Izuku jolted, his body pressing to Katsuki’s more with surprise at the touch. Katsuki’s eyes sparkled with mischief as his nails scraped gently at Izuku’s lower back.

“Katsuki!” Izuku said, his voice stuttering a little as he attempted to sound stern, “We’re having a serious discussion!”

“I can tease you and be serious at the same time. Can you not?” Katsuki asked, his mouth dipping to speak directly into Izuku’s ear. He nipped at the shell, making Izuku shudder. “Or am I distracting you?” His voice was deeper so close to Izuku’s ear. It seemed to reverberate through Izuku’s entire being. His eyes fell shut as his memory of his dream the night before came flooding back and arousal pounded its way through his veins. He felt hot desire pool in his lower stomach as his fingers curled into fists against Katsuki’s chest. He could feel the man’s heart beating under his hand. He was vividly aware of the way Katsuki’s fingers dipped just under his belt. 

“Stop.” Izuku murmured, although it was only half-heartedly. “I can’t actually concentrate!”

Katsuki’s chuckle only made the blood rush more south. Izuku had to bite back a whimper as he laid his head on Katsuki’s shoulder. His breathing became heavier. Gods, how long had it been that he was getting this bothered with barely any touching at all? He didn’t believe he’d ever been attracted to someone in the way he was attracted to Katsuki. The rational part of him cursed his lust considering it had been only two days and a night since he had met this man but he wanted him so desperately.

“Fine.” Katsuki said, and his voice sounded almost as wrecked as Izuku’s did. Dark with his own desire. It only fired Izuku up more that he could do that to Katsuki too without any effort on his part. The anticipation was just as palpable and heady as the mystery they were both following. “Kiss me, and then let us cool off so I can dine with our King without it being obvious how much I would rather spend some more time with you here. Preferably on the ground, but bent over the nearest object wouldn’t be bad either.”

“Fuck.” Izuku hissed and reached up to capture Katsuki’s lips. Their kiss was heated as Izuku let out a groan. He didn’t mind the way Katsuki grabbed his bottom and slotted their hips together. He just gripped the other man’s shoulders and ground against him, showing his own desire. He could already see in his mind’s eye what they both could do together, secluded as they were. He wanted to bury his hands into Katsuki’s hair. Tug off that thin skirt of his, or maybe just hike it up. They could find some soft ground somewhere so his back or his knees wouldn’t hurt. 

Katsuki’s other hand came up to cup the back of his head, sighing as he took everything that was offered to him. Izuku could feel his restraint as his hands did not wander. Izuku did him the courtesy of holding back as well. However, he did get a little revenge by running his hands down and around Katsuki’s sides. He felt the man’s sharp intake of air against his lips as he pulled back to say something, but Izuku just recaptured them in another hot kiss as his arms slipped under Katsuki’s to press against his back. His nails dug into the skin there some as his leg hooked over Katsuki’s hip to grind more against him. 

“Enough!” Katsuki begged, breathless as he forced them to break apart. They were both panting, pupils dilated as they gazed upon each other. The night had grown darker in the time they were indulging in each other. Izuku had a difficult time actually seeing Katsuki. “Did I not just say I had to go fucking meet our King?”

“Sorry.” Izuku said, only a little not apologetic as he wiped the saliva from his chin. He swallowed the rest as he adjusted his pants and shirt to fit better on him. He was throbbing. “But you did start it.”

“You weren’t complaining.” Katsuki grumbled.

“And yet you are now!” 

“Shut up.” He pressed a hand to Izuku’s face and gave him a playful shove backwards. Izuku caught himself, stumbling, and saw Katsuki adjusting his own skirt. The thin material did little to hide his erection. Izuku bit back a goofy smile at the sight and said nothing. He had a feeling he would have a rough evening tonight as well depending on if Katsuki would be able to spend it with him or not.

He linked his arm with Katsuki and pulled them both to start walking. “You will speak to the King, then?”

Katsuki didn’t look too pleased to be speaking of the King so soon after what they had done, but Izuku knew they both needed to get this done. And the topic change would assist them both in hopefully calming down. “Yeah, I’ll talk with him. In the meantime,” he glanced at Izuku, “see if you can find out more about Shouto and his family.”

Izuku sobered up a little bit. Right. Shouto’s words had bothered him as well. He had been under the impression that Shouto’s mother had survived like Izuku had, but to find out she had left beforehand was strange. “I might have better luck with Touya, to be honest. Shouto’s mother Rei stopped talking about Atlantis as much in her later years apparently. Touya might know more.”

“Then ask him.”

“He’s out at our other camp right now. I can’t. But I will when he comes back.”

Katsuki frowned. “Do that, then. Something seems off to me.”

“Just find out what you can from the King. Anything that might be able to help us. And we can continue our search in the morning.”

“Yeah. Although,” Katsuki paused and then swept down to steal another kiss from Izuku. Izuku resisted the urge to follow his lips and gave him a small, not unhappy glare because how was that supposed to help them calm down, “I wish I could follow you to your room tonight. Or yours to mine. But I have a feeling I won’t quite be in the mood after talking with our King.”

“Disappointing,” Izuku said quietly, making a point to gaze at Katsuki’s lips before meeting his eyes again. They were coming close to where he could hear people talking. Izuku pulled away from him entirely and hoped that he didn’t look too ravished, “but understandable.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. “Are you always this frisky?”

Izuku let out a laugh, shocked. “Me? How about you? I’ve asked you before if you are so flirtatious!”

“I’ll take advantage while I can considering your niece has a love for interrupting us.” Katsuki grumbled.

Izuku scratched at the back of his head. “That’s a family trait.”

“Whatever.”

“Come on, then. Let’s head back now.” Izuku said, and the two began their walk back towards the castle.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daily is out here providing me with so [much](https://daily-happiness-11.tumblr.com/post/187268728962/smooch-smooch-cause-theyre-fluffy-and-in-love) [inspiration](https://daily-happiness-11.tumblr.com/post/187499721247/last-chapter-was-something-3-i-forgot-they-were) from her art <3 <3

Spending time with Izuku was quickly becoming the quickest way to increase Katsuki’s mood. He was feeling significantly happier even as he was forced to go his separate way from Izuku. Which was probably for the best because there was an unfamiliar but tantalizing buzzing under his skin that urged him to turn around and follow after Izuku once more. What would putting off this talk for one day do, after all? His dick certainly seemed to think it was a good idea.

But despite how he might come off to Izuku, he wasn’t one to be driven around by his dick. Katsuki thought with his head, and he certainly had better things to do than to chase after Izuku’s cute ass to his bedroom. That could also wait. Izuku and his crew didn’t plan on even thinking of leaving until at least the mystery of Atlantis was solved. At least, that was what it sounded like to Katsuki. Izuku seemed to be determined to stay at any rate, which meant Katsuki had plenty of opportunity in the future to seclude them once more and ravish him. It would be a glorious day.

For now, though, he turned his attention to the task ahead. He paused outside of the doors to the dining hall and glanced over himself. He adjusted his skirt so it sat tidier on him and straightened his posture. His hair was always a mess, so there was no worry on that front. He’d had plenty of time to physically calm down having walked around the castle once to burn off his desire. He was in a fit state once more to not utterly humiliate himself in front of Toshinori.

He entered the dining hall and found the opposite end lit up with warm lanterns and a fire in the hearth. There was a chill in the air that came from the humidity and the stone of the hall and tables. Katsuki could still remember when there were wooden tables, but when the rot had been hitting much harder they would fall apart a lot quicker. The thick scent of cooked meat and herbs filled the air as Katsuki’s footsteps barely made a sound. He found Toshinori waiting for him on the other side of the room with the dishes in front of him untouched. Katsuki knew it was because he had been waiting for his successor to arrive, but Toshinori didn’t eat much lately anyway.

He bowed to his King before he took his seat with a sigh. “You found time to meet with me then?” He asked.

“Everyone needs dinner. And I prefer to have these types of conversations with some food in our stomachs.” He motioned for Katsuki to serve himself. “Eat up, my boy.” Katsuki did so, serving first his King and then himself. He took much more for himself knowing that Toshinori would not want as much. “I am a little surprised you did not bring Young Izuku with you.”

“We are not attached at the freaking hip.” Katsuki said, but his voice was a bit gruffer. The awkward way Toshinori glanced at him and then away told Katsuki all he needed to know that Toshinori had been made well aware of how often he had been out with Izuku. The fact that he was spending entire days with him would be enough. Katsuki did not like most people on the best of days, and to willingly spend such long periods of time with someone was unthinkable.

“He reminds me of Inko.” Toshinori said softly, thoughtful as he sipped at his wine. Katsuki didn’t respond as he bit into his food and chewed. “I was kind of hoping you would invite him.”

“I could next time if you want. He had wanted to come.”

“Maybe if it were on friendlier terms. You’re here to discuss your findings, are you not?” Toshinori cut right to the chase, pushing his plate a little aside to sit forward a little.

Katsuki wasn’t going to bullshit him. He could talk with Toshinori whenever, after all. He swallowed a large gulp of his own wine before he spoke, “Izuku and I know about the Heart.”

Toshinori blinked, visibly startled by this announcement. “You what?” He sat back. His sunken eyes were wide and his voice a bit awed. “And what do you know of it?”

“Not much. Not yet.” Katsuki admitted. “We know it exists and that it’s a power source of some kind. It’s connected to our crystals. And was a gift from the Gods, apparently.” He did not break eye contact with Toshinori, inviting him to confirm his findings or deny them.

Toshinori’s shock faded some. There was almost an air of disappointment and relief to him. “Indeed.” He said quietly. “Everything you say is true.”

“What more do you know about it?”

“Plenty. But none that I can say.” 

Katsuki slapped his hand on the table in frustration. “Why? Did the Gods forbid you from passing any kind of information onto your own successor? How was I supposed to even learn of this if their damn rot had cursed me so I could not even read! They had set me up to fail myself and our people! And now they won’t even let you-”

“Enough, Katsuki!” Toshinori said, his voice deep with command that still echoed just as it had when he had been healthy. He coughed after that then, hunching over from the force of it. Katsuki did not move to assist him knowing that the man would not want it. When Toshinori straightened again, he wiped the bit of blood that was on his hand onto a napkin. “Do not speak ill of the Gods.”

“If Izuku had not come here, I would not even know this tiny bit of information.” Katsuki continued nonetheless, frustration lacing his every word.

“And perhaps that is a blessing from the Gods themselves. To assist you in your task.” Toshinori countered. Katsuki scoffed, but did not verbally deny it. Toshinori and Katsuki’s mother were the only two who truly knew of his scorn for the Gods and what they had done to his people. They had to constantly keep him in check so as to not insult the Gods. Had Katsuki not seen what their curse had done to Toshinori he would believe they were not real at all. He is not foolish enough to voice his disdain aloud, though. “The task they have given me - and thus, have given you - is not unfair, my boy. It is difficult, yes, but you can do it. I wish I could help you more, but at most I can only tell you if you are correct.”

“But you know, right?” Katsuki asked, still rankled. He held back his temper, but only barely. This is the exact reason why he had known he would not be in the mood to bed Izuku after this kind of meeting. The discussions always infuriated him, and that was not a person he wanted Izuku to meet quite yet. He was better than his anger despite the fact that his mother called him hot-headed. “You know the answer. The truth to everything.” He had yet to ask Toshinori this directly. He had always suspected, but he also didn’t think that Toshinori would be able to give him any answers. He hadn’t needed verbal confirmation before. Now he wanted to know. He needed to know at least some of what the Gods had told him. Even if Katsuki had already heard it all before, it had been many years since he had asked. He could possibly get more out of the man now. 

Toshinori looked sad. “Yes.”

“But you believe I can do it?”

“I believe you will find the truth.”

“And save Atlantis.”

“That,” Toshinori admitted quietly, “I am not sure of.”

Katsuki stiffened. “Why?”

“Everything is connected, Katsuki my boy, but saving Atlantis...is not something I know. Whether you can save it or not...I believe depends on you discovering the truth. And what you will do when you learn it.” Toshinori ran a tired hand over his face. “Either way, it is not something I can help you with. This is a task that is...no longer in my hands. It is up to you, my successor. Atlantis will be in your hands. I know you will do right by her.”

Katsuki’s fingers curled into fists and his eyes squeezed shut in frustration. He had learned nothing here. Toshinori would not tell him anything. “Fine.” He gritted out. “Izuku and I will figure this shit out with or without you, then.” He shoved away from the table and stood, his appetite lost. He bowed stiffly to his King once more and said nothing as he left.

“I’m sorry.” Toshinori’s quiet voice echoed over the crackling in the hearth. Katsuki did not acknowledge him. His determination to seek his answers only strengthened. 


	20. Chapter 20

Izuku felt warm and happy. There was a fuzzy feeling inside his chest that made him unable to remove the smile that was stretched across his face. The cool, humid air of Atlantis blew at his hair and waved it out of his face allowing for him to continue to stare at the city below. Atlantis was beautiful at night lit up with various bioluminescent plants and animals and fires from people. He had wanted to stay out longer, but there was nothing that could be done so late at night. He wanted to explore more with Katsuki, but Katsuki was busy. 

Just thinking about him made Izuku’s stomach bubble pleasurably. It sent a shiver on his skin. He’d had enough time to think about the man and what he had hoped would happen that night while he had been laying in bed to get his sexual frustrations out. It had done enough to curb the edge of his desire from how he had been worked up, but it had done nothing to stop the itch in his skin. It was a strange mixture between wanting to meet with Katsuki to continue their flirting and his desire to ask more questions. He wondered how Katsuki’s meeting with the King was going. If only he could’ve gone! Hopefully Katsuki had asked about if Izuku could bring up the Heart with other people. He wanted to know his crewmates’ thoughts. Only some of them, though. Too many people knowing would be a problem.

There was a knock on his door which brought Izuku out of his thoughts. He blinked and glanced towards where the sound had come from, his heart rate already picking up with anticipation as he shifted so his feet were on the floor and called, “Come in!”

The flash of red was enough to make Izuku’s hope fall as Shouto poked his head in. Izuku brushed aside his slight disappointment, scolding himself for being silly, and smiled in greeting as Shouto said, “Oh. You’re here.”

“You didn’t expect me to be?”  


“It was a risk.” He entered the room and closed the door, glancing around the room without much intent. “I had assumed you might still be with Katsuki considering you had been going after him the last I saw you.”

Izuku rubbed at his arm feeling a little bashful. Had he and Katsuki become so quickly expected to be together all the time? That was kind of embarrassing. It had only been two days. “He’s fascinating.” He tried to defend knowing that his words completely understated the things Izuku had for Katsuki. “And he went to have dinner with the King. We bid our good nights to each other about an hour ago.”

“Ah.” Shouto did not say more. He walked deeper into the room and sat on one of the wooden lattice chairs. The pillows sank under his weight, but the chair groaned like it was ancient. Izuku was nervous to sit in it because he was afraid it would break. Shouto didn’t seem to have that reluctance.

The silence took over them. It wasn’t unusual with Shouto. He could be someone to have a decent chat with, but usually he was silent without much prompting. Izuku had gotten used to it over the past 25 years that he had known the young man. He had grown comfortable with it. But Izuku also knew that if Shouto had searched him out, he had wanted something. So Izuku prompted, “What was it that you needed from me?”

Shouto looked uncomfortable. Izuku knew immediately that this had to do with Katsuki or the King. Shouto wasn’t one to look really uncomfortable with much unless it was actually bothering him. Izuku’s guess was proven correct as Shouto said, “I wanted to continue our conversation from dinner earlier.” 

“Oh, okay. Sure.”

Shouto didn’t say anything for a beat longer before he met Izuku’s eyes and held it. He always had an intense stare, although he also always had a somewhat sleepy look to him. “I wasn’t entirely truthful at dinner, but that was because I didn’t want to share everything. My brother...he warned me to be wary around the royalty here.” 

“What? When?” Izuku asked, surprised. Touya was usually a laid-back guy, if a little rough around the edges.

“The first night we were here.” Shouto rubbed at the back of his neck. “I know that our mother has told him many more stories about her life in Atlantis than she has me because he is the eldest of us. He got to hear these things before she had decided to stop speaking of them openly.”

“But why is Touya so hesitant about the King and Katsuki? Both of them have been nothing but gracious to us.” Katsuki moreso than the King, but that was for the best as well. “Did he tell you anything?”

Shouto shook his head. “Nothing specific. But I’m sure he knows why our mother left Atlantis. I didn’t think anything about it before, but now I suspect that something must have driven her out. Possibly related to why the Gods cursed Atlantis. The timing…”

“Yeah, the timing is very coincidental.” Izuku agreed softly. He hadn’t wanted to say it outright to Shouto, but the other man was brilliant in his own ways. Of course he would be suspicious as well. “We’ll have to wait until he’s back, then. Maybe you can ask him more questions? He’s always been more open with you than the rest of us.”

Shouto gave him a slightly disbelieving look. “You think he’s more open with me?”

Izuku let out a laugh. The amount of sibling offense in his voice was too funny. “You are brothers! I’m sure he’d be more willing to tell you!”

“Touya is constantly hiding secrets.”

“That he’d be more willing to share with you.”

“Are we both still discussing the same man?”

“You two are _such_ brothers.” Izuku teased, using a tone he had definitely picked up from Ochako. “It’s good to see you two acting like it.”

“You’re sounding particularly old right now, Izuku.”

“I’m your elder!” He cried in mock offense. Shouto gave a small smile and stood.

“I guess that’s something to brag about.”

“ _Shouto_.”

“I’ll ask him when he gets back then. Just don’t mention that I brought it up in front of Katsuki. You’re understandable to tell this all to considering you’re somewhat leading this expedition-”

“Somewhat?”

“-but if he knew that I told Katsuki, I’m sure he’d be angry with me.” Shouto completely ignored what Izuku said. “So please don’t say anything.”

“I won’t.” Izuku said. He figured it really would be best to let Shouto be the one to ask his brother of anything anyway. Their relationship wasn’t too bad even though Shouto seemed to think otherwise. Touya liked to mess with his younger brother a lot, but there wasn’t animosity between the two of them. Izuku was sure he could do it. 

“Thank you.” Shouto moved to head for the door but then stopped. He seemed to be considering something. Izuku yawned and covered his mouth so it wouldn’t be rude. It was getting late and he was tired from all of the travel they did today. All of the traveling in general was making him feel sore. If he hadn’t already taken a hot bath he would want another. But he wasn’t about to push Shouto out of the room. “Izuku,” the other man began slowly after a moment, and then picking up more momentum as he turned to look at Izuku again, “What do you plan to do after this?”

“Um, sleep?” Izuku asked, though he wasn’t sure if that was what Shouto was referring to.

It wasn’t. “I mean after the expedition is over.”

“Oh.” Izuku fidgeted with his fingers. “I’m not...certain yet.”

“Are you going to stay?”

“I’m...thinking about it.” Which he had been, though it had been idle thoughts. The thoughts he would have before going to bed or early in the morning. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

Shouto shook his head. “Curiosity, I guess.” Izuku made a face behind his friend’s back. Sometimes Shouto could be so confusing. “Good night, Izuku.”

“Good night, Shouto.” The man left then and Izuku’s room was once again filled with the organic silence of the night. He glanced down at his hands with a frown. Did he plan to stay in Atlantis after all of this was over? When the curse was lifted? Probably. As much as he had enjoyed the surface world, Atlantis was his home and he had missed it. And with hope maybe they could find a way to restore it to something like it once had been. Besides, if he stayed too long in the surface world now he feared that he would become far too well known. The world was small in some ways and he hadn’t exactly hidden his presence. People must know he’s older than he appeared after all. Right?

He shook his head. Was it unfair of him to want to go see what Katsuki was doing? To see if he was done dining with the King? Would Katsuki want to see him, or would he be too clingy? Izuku hesitated thinking that yeah it might be too clingy, but he was also far too old to be too embarrassed. He and Katsuki were around the same age. If Katsuki wanted him gone, he could just say. Izuku would accept that. Besides, he wasn’t even going there to try to climb into bed with him. Katsuki had already told him he wouldn’t be in the mood. But Izuku was curious about the books and scrolls Katsuki had mentioned before after they had visited the library. Maybe Katsuki would allow him to look through them?

Decision made, Izuku got up and grabbed his notebook and pen before he exited his bedroom to go to find Katsuki’s room.


	21. Chapter 21

Katsuki was freshly bathed and had, for the most part, calmed down from his conversation with Toshinori. He was in a bad mood, still pretty burnt up that even now Toshinori was hiding things from him. He just knew that the old King had all the information that they needed, so why was he still withholding it? He had looked surprised that Katsuki had known what the Heart of Atlantis was, but he hadn’t provided any further information. Why did he look both relieved and sad that Katsuki had not known more about the Heart? It was confusing and frustrating. The man was constantly silent. Why? Because the gods had bid him be silent? 

Katsuki swiped his hand over his desk and sent some of his notes on his scrolls to the floor. He had been desperate before Izuku and his crew had arrived and had taken to trying to decipher the languages in the scrolls. To remember some of the easiest words, but it was difficult. He didn’t have any kind of basis for any of the letters. He hadn’t been getting too far. He needed to put more time into this. He felt like there was a clock ticking over his head, counting down until the end of all of Atlantis. He would not allow it. He refused!

There was a knock at his door. Katsuki scowled and called, “What? What could you possibly want with me right now?! It’s late!”

There was silence on the other side of the door for a few tense moments. Katsuki waited, only becoming more irritated and curious at the lack of response, before a somewhat timid voice called, “U-Um, it’s me. I mean-! Izuku! It’s, um, Izuku.” Katsuki froze. What the heck was Izuku doing there? He hadn’t expected to see him again this night. How had he known he had returned from seeing the King and from his bathing? Why was Izuku even there? “I-I’m sorry to disturb you. I can come back in the morning. I didn’t… I had thought…”

Katsuki yanked open the door and Izuku jumped in surprise and fright. Katsuki took in the sight of him in strange clothing. It was still covering his body, but it seemed to be a different material. A soft sleeveless top and soft shorts as well. He was barefoot still. Izuku hurriedly pushed his glasses up on his nose, staring at Katsuki as he gave a hesitant smile. And Katsuki felt his frustrations bleed out of him a little. He hadn’t expected to see Izuku again, but he was certainly a welcome surprise.

He leaned against the frame of the door and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at him. There was a teasing smirk on his face as he asked, “And what did you come here for? I did tell you I wouldn’t be in the mood for any kind of recreational activity tonight.” And he still wasn’t. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to see Izuku, though. He might help to calm his temper. Maybe help him think a little straighter.

Izuku’s face flushed a little and he scratched at the back of his neck, eyes darting away, then back, and then away again from Katsuki’s amused gaze, “I didn’t come for that!”

“A shame.”

“ _Katsuki_.” Izuku attempted, and Katsuki couldn’t help his chuckle now. It was too much fun to tease the little nerd. Katsuki was enjoying it greatly. 

“Come in, then.” He said as he stepped aside and offered entrance to his room. “You’re always welcome.”

“Y-You’re too open about that.” Izuku scolded, still flustered, but he entered the room nonetheless. It took all of Katsuki’s willpower not to capture his hip and pull him into a kiss. Katsuki had never been the biggest fan of sweets, but Izuku’s lips were a tantalizing dessert he’d had too little of and he was craving more. He would contain himself for now.

Izuku turned slowly as he gazed upon Katsuki’s room. Compared to what used to be the royal guest rooms, Katsuki’s room was clearly lived in. Tapestries decorated the stone walls and crystal sculptures with twisting shapes glowed in the corners to bring light to the room. Phosphorescent moss that Katsuki had purposely grown in patterns along his walls painted pictures in soft light and imageries. An unlit lantern had been thrown to the floor with Katsuki’s attempts at writing earlier. Strange, self-moving trinkets that Katsuki had discovered and had salvaged from deep in the waters filled his shelves that he had hung on the walls as well as dangled from strings he had attached to the ceiling. The ancient, water-damaged scrolls were carefully stored on the stone holes in the walls. His bed was large and decorated with a thin, woven blanket. The heavier blankets for when the nights grow colder were stored away elsewhere. His weapons were propped against the wall near his closet where he kept his clothing hanging up. His silver mirror, polished until his reflection was clear on it, sat above where he kept his jewelry and the beads he used for his braids. Katsuki took everything in wondering how Izuku felt to look upon it. 

“This is… this is amazing, Katsuki.” Izuku whispered. “Are all Atlantean rooms like this? It’s so full of personality and culture!” 

Katsuki couldn’t help but scoff, amused at the compliment. It hadn’t been what he was expecting, but Izuku tended to surprise him. He joined the man to gaze upon his own stuff and hummed. “Some are. Many of these things are of higher quality and are not cheap, though. And more of these things I have salvaged during my exploration.” He nodded in the direction of the scrolls. “Those are the scrolls that I had mentioned back at the library.”

Izuku gasped and his body jerked forward in a step that he aborted just as quickly. He spun around, his green eyes sparkling in the light of his excitement as his manners briefly overpowered his desire. “Can I take a look at them?!”

Katsuki blinked, “Yeah. Go-” Izuku was already rushing the scrolls before Katsuki could finish. Katsuki tried to figure out how he felt about this - Izuku becoming clearly more interested in the scrolls despite Katsuki being there - and decided that, yeah, this was a part of him he liked in Izuku as well. Especially as the other man carefully opened the scrolls and his eyes widened with wonder at what he saw. It pulled Katsuki over immediately so that he could examine the same object, his heart beating quickly with whatever Izuku may discover from what he was reading. 

Izuku’s eyes skimmed over it with a speed that Katsuki couldn’t help but admire and begrudge at the same time. Izuku had somehow retained his ability to read the script which Katsuki knew he could have used to have advanced his research. In the few days Izuku had been there, he had already made more progress than Katsuki had in years. It was as frustrating as it was relieving. Katsuki wanted to be resentful, but Izuku had been invaluable. In the past Katsuki may have been furious about it. Now, though, he’d had centuries to mature. That, and there was far too much on the line for him to be picky about his resources. 

“Well?” Katsuki demanded after Izuku had been silent for a few long moments.

“Oh, sorry.” Izuku gave him a quick, apologetic smile before he rolled up the scroll. “It was some kind of medical instructions about an illness I’d never heard of before. I got kind of curious. There’s a lot of terms I don’t recognize so I was struggling to figure them out.”

“Ignore anything that’s not actually relevant.” Katsuki said, feeling his irritation well up again. He swiftly but carefully took the scroll from Izuku’s hands and tossed it onto his recently-cleared desk to pull out another one. “What is this one about?” He thrusted it into Izuku’s hands.

Izuku stared at Katsuki instead with a concerned frown on his face. “What has happened?”

“Nothing.” Katsuki bit out. “Just read.”

Izuku shook his head. “Is this what you had meant by you ‘wouldn’t be in the mood’? What happened between you and our King? Are you not on good terms with him?”

Katsuki sighed roughly. “I am on very good terms with our King. He is nothing short of a father to me. That does not mean he doesn’t piss me the fuck off with his cagey bullshit.” Izuku blinked at the terms. Katsuki realized he might not even understand the lingo he was using. After all, even his own Atlantean sounded a little dated at times. He clarified, “The King has the answers to what we seek.”

“What?!” Izuku yelped. Katsuki’s hand shot up to cover his mouth and he hissed at him to lower his voice. Izuku pulled Katsuki’s hand away, “Then why are we still searching? Why has our King not just told you?!”

“He can’t.” Katsuki said bitterly. “The Gods forbade him. This is a test for me, remember? Even after bringing up the Heart, he did not offer any new information.”

Izuku deflated a little. “I see. So he did not have more information on the Heart, or he could not give it to you?”

Katsuki opened his mouth, but then paused. It occurred to him, then, that he had become so caught up in the familiar argument with Toshinori that he hadn’t even questioned him more about the Heart. Toshinori had not offered it, no, but that could’ve possibly been because he too had become caught up in their conversation. Katsuki had forgotten to pursue the information he had gone there for originally.

“Katsuki?”

“Shit!” Katsuki hissed. “I forgot to ask him.”

“You forgot to ask?” He asked incredulously.

Katsuki could feel his cheeks burn a little and he snapped, “We got into an argument, okay?! It was easy to forget!”

Izuku held his hands up placatingly. He seemed startled by Katsuki’s anger, but not upset. Katsuki ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Great, now he was snapping at Izuku. _That_ would look good to someone he was attempting to get to know more intimately. Yet he did not apologize.

“Then we will try to ask at a later date.” Izuku offered.

“Next time you will come with me.” He commanded. “The King did not seem to mind the idea of you joining us, and it is better than having to relay all of this information again. I hate doing it.”

Izuku perked up at that. “I would love to! Then tomorrow will you be able to join me once more in going somewhere?”

Katsuki frowned curiously. “What do you mean?”

“I plan to go to see Touya rather than to wait for him to return. He may not be as willing to talk while you are around, but I can at least see what he would be willing to share. He plans to come back to the castle anyway, so we can go with him. What do you think?”

Touya wouldn’t be as willing to speak with Katsuki present? Then why take Katsuki with Izuku? “Why would I go if I am just to hinder you?” Izuku paused, and it was enough to make Katsuki smirk. “Are you truly just trying to take up all of my time, Izuku?”

Izuku’s cheeks flushed. “W-Well, I didn’t know if… maybe you could find some information too... I don’t know.” He covered his face a bit with his arms to hide it. Katsuki was charmed. He couldn’t help but be with this cute man. It was still a new thing for Katsuki to be so attracted to someone both physically and mentally, but he liked riding the wave.

He reached forward to pull Izuku’s arms away and to kiss him. The man’s glasses got in the way, so he pushed them up on Izuku’s head only to capture his jaw and tilt his head so they could better slot their lips together. Izuku hummed into the kiss, his arms wrapping around Katsuki’s shoulders and neck as he opened his mouth to meet the other in a languid, deep kiss. Katsuki’s skin bubbled with pleasurable goosebumps as Izuku’s fingers stroked at the back of his head where his hair was cut shortest. His skin seemed electrified at the touch.

An idea formed in Katsuki’s head which may not be the best idea, but one he wanted to follow through on nonetheless. His hands slid from Izuku’s jaw, over his neck, and down to rest on the man’s hips as he broke the kiss. Izuku’s green eyes seemed a little hazy and his lips glistened in the blue lights of Katsuki’s room. Despite what he had said earlier, he _did_ want Izuku then. But he would not indulge so fast. Not yet. Not when there was too much to get done. Tomorrow would be a busy day, after all. And admittedly he was tired after the exploration he’d done all day today.

“Stay here tonight.” Katsuki bade him. “My bed is definitely more comfortable than the guest bed you are staying in.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. “Are you saying-?”

Katsuki cut him off with just a quick peck on the mouth. “No, not tonight.” He preened and didn’t bother to hide his smug grin at the way Izuku seemed to deflate with his disappointment, though the man scrambled to hide it once Katsuki’s pride began to show on his face. If he had known he had this much of an effect on people and if he’d had the desire, he would’ve pursued many more bedmates at this point just for the fun of it. Maybe it was just because it was Izuku, though. “Tomorrow I cannot actually join you. I do have some duties I must attend to. Namely I must see if there are any reports back from my mother at all.”

“Is she gone somewhere?”

“She is hunting. She claimed to expect to be gone a week, but I know her and I suspect it will be shorter than that.”

“Your mother must be a fierce woman.” 

“Not at all.” Katsuki said as he released Izuku finally. The man stepped back from him, though he did not go far. “She is just a very good huntress.” He moved over towards the bed and pulled back the covers. He laid down onto the mattress and met Izuku’s eyes in a silent challenge. He wondered if the man would take him up on it. Just because Katsuki needed sleep now did not mean he wouldn’t try to indulge in the morning before he must attend to his duties. He wondered if Izuku also sensed that.

Izuku hesitated a few moments longer, glancing at the scrolls, before turning back to Katsuki. He seemed to debate staying up a little longer to read - which Katsuki would not fault him for - and joining Katsuki in the bed. Katsuki decided to offer him an out, “Though I may have to leave in the morning, you are welcome in here as long and as much as you like so you can study the scrolls.”

Izuku looked relieved. This time he did not hesitate to join Katsuki, climbing in on the other side of the bed and carefully placing his glasses on a nearby stand. He did not scoot close under their shared cover, though, giving them both some space. Katsuki made sure to rest his hand in the space between them, feeling the warmth that came from Izuku brushing his fingertips. “Thank you, Katsuki. I was worried about that.”

Katsuki waved his other hand before rolling over onto his side to face Izuku. His legs stuck out from the bottom of the blanket to gather some of the cooler air. “You are helping me with my task. I am not about to hinder your research by closing off my room.” His eyes fell on the scrolls. “Besides, you will have much more luck than I have had so far. You, at least, indeed seem to be blessed.”

Izuku’s smile was bright and soft at the same time. Katsuki resisted the urge to kiss him. It was becoming a disturbingly strong desire to kiss him every time he smiled so sweetly as he did. “I only hope I can share it with you.” He settled down into the bed with a sigh and closed his eyes. Katsuki did the same, acutely aware of the presence in his bed. “Good night, Katsuki.”

“Good night.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW!

Katsuki woke up first, much warmer than he usually was outside of the late summer afternoons. For a moment he was drowsy and confused as something tickled his nose. He tilted his head away, snorting at the sensation, and brought a hand up to wipe at it to get rid of the tickle. His arm brushed skin and a firm form, though, and that gave him pause. He blinked his eyes open to find a cloud of dark green under his chin. Upon further inspection, he discovered that it was Izuku, curled up against Katsuki with his arm thrown over Katsuki’s waist. The man was still fast asleep despite Katsuki’s shifting around. His hold was strong even while asleep, but his body was completely relaxed. Katsuki found it a little ridiculous that Izuku was a deep enough sleeper to not have noticed their position nor to have woken up when Katsuki had. But Katsuki only relaxed down onto the bed once more with a heavy, content sigh. 

He took a few minutes to indulge and to study Izuku’s face without his glasses on. He looked older when he wasn’t wearing them. Katsuki’s fingers ran over Izuku’s cheek, tracing with feather-soft touch the freckles that resided there. He was abruptly reminded of the sky and tried to remember what it had looked like, but he could not recall. It had been so long ago that Katsuki had seen the sky after all. He vaguely remembered the sky having spots as well, similar to Izuku’s freckles, but brighter against the sky rather than darker. Katsuki shifted carefully onto his side and leaned in to kiss the freckles wanting to taste them. He tilted his head up just a bit to get a better angle. Izuku’s hand was hot against his sleep-warmed skin. Katsuki’s arm looped over Izuku’s waist, shifting his shirt up just to feel some of his skin on his back. He did not move further, though.

Izuku’s face scrunched up a little from the touch. Katsuki paused and watched with more fascination than he would typically have for this kind of thing. Izuku stirred and his arm tightened around Katsuki’s waist as he pressed his face further into his pillow, his leg stretching out to bump Katsuki’s. The man jolted and his eyes popped open. Katsuki propped himself up onto his elbow and felt a crooked smile forming on his face as green eyes met his. He loved the heat of Izuku’s body pressing against his own.

“Good morning.” He said and waited for the beautiful blush that was bound to bloom across Izuku’s cheeks and nose, highlighting his freckles. Instead Izuku only stared at him a little longer before a smile slowly spread across his own face and his eyes softened. Katsuki’s heart beat once too harder and he was left breathless from the sensation. Goosebumps prickled in a tidal wave across his skin. 

“Good morning.” Izuku responded, his voice roughened by sleep. He rolled onto his back and stretched nice and long, back arching off of the bed. Katsuki swallowed the saliva that built in his mouth, following the curve with his eyes and _barely_ resisting doing the same with his hands as well. Izuku’s air rushed from his nose in a pleased sigh, his body slumping against the bed as he turned his head to look at Katsuki. 

Katsuki couldn’t resist. He sat up and trapped Izuku between his arms, hovering over his head. Izuku’s eyes were much more attentive, widening a little at the sudden movement. He did not attempt to escape, though, and Katsuki got down onto his forearms to get in closer. “You’re very unguarded.” He murmured with gentle amusement, hot eyes dancing over Izuku’s eyes, nose, cheeks, and lips.

Izuku licked his lips and Katsuki preened as he watched the green of his irises get swallowed up a little by his pupils as Izuku’s eyes dropped to Katsuki’s mouth and back to meet his gaze. “You’re… I know you won’t hurt me.”

“What if I want to, though?” Katsuki asked, gravel in his tone as he scraped his teeth against his jaw, tongue darting out to swipe at his ear lobe. 

Izuku gave a breathy laugh and his arms came up to wrap around Katsuki’s neck. His hand skimmed along his neck and around the back of his head through the thick fuzz of it there. His thumb skated on the edge of Katsuki’s jaw line. Katsuki’s eyelids fell and he resisted the urge to close them because he wanted to watch Izuku. “You keep flirting with me, but you have yet to follow through. What else do I need to do to let you know that I am _very_ interested?”

“Nothing.” Katsuki confessed with a grin, lips brushing Izuku’s cheeks once more and his nose. “We are just very busy.”

“Just like you are today?”

Katsuki scowled as he was reminded that, yes, he had duties to attend to. The weight of his position sobered him up a little and he hated it. He had been caught up in the lazy heat of the morning. For a moment he had become lost and had forgotten how little he knew about Izuku. How gargantuan of a problem the two were dealing with. Katsuki had forgotten that Izuku had not always been here in his bed with him. He wanted to know how he had gotten so lost in Izuku. Why did he feel like Izuku was his and always had been? He felt like Izuku was made for him. 

Izuku watched Katsuki as the man’s attention was turned elsewhere. His rueful smile and sigh through his nose brought Katsuki back out of his musings. His fingers pet at Katsuki’s cheek, tracing the tattoo there. “You have things to get to.”

“I do.” Katsuki begrudgingly admitted. “Though I have some time.”

“Good.” Izuku pulled Katsuki forward and he went willingly, kissing him with a hum. Their lips moved against each other, kissing deeply and languidly. He was already half hard when they finished. Katsuki nipped at Izuku’s jaw and neck. It took all of his willpower to resist moving further, though it was a tenuous thing. Izuku only tilted his head, his hands gripping Katsuki’s shoulder and hair, his breathing quickening with desire. Katsuki stopped and clenched his eyes shut before he pulled back. If he went any further, he would not be able to stop. And when he fucked Izuku, he wanted to do it on his own time. He wanted to take him apart and make him beg for more. One round would not be enough to sate him, and Katsuki wasn’t sure what to do with his hunger having never dealt with it before.

“Come.” Katsuki commanded as he pulled away. 

“Gods, I would love to.” Izuku said, seemingly without prior agreement with his own mind as his face immediately went bright red as his eyes widened. His hands covered his mouth. Katsuki barked a laugh, greatly amused. He didn’t resist another quick kiss before he tore himself away from Izuku’s tantalizing gravity to climb off of the bed. The cooler air helped to clear Katsuki’s head just a bit of the heady, thick lust that ran like syrup through his veins. His night shorts did little to hide his arousal, and he caught Izuku as his eyes noticed as well before they had darted away. Katsuki cursed that he had to do anything other than Izuku in that moment. 

“Are you certain that your time on the surface hasn’t somehow changed _you_ into a more sexual being? Are you sure you’re Atlantean?” Katsuki teased. 

“You have no room to talk.” Izuku mumbled as he climbed from the bed as well. Katsuki stripped of his night clothes and began to dress. He wore his nicer clothes today. Compared to his casual clothing that left much of his skin exposed, his more formal outfit covered his entire torso and was tied around the waist by a band of cloth. He slipped on sleeves that extended from golden bands that latched onto his biceps. His skirt was longer, extending a little past his knees, and tied at the waist with another band of cloth leaving a tongue to hang down as decoration. He pulled on the golden headband that had a diamond-shaped, blood red ruby that matched the color of his eyes and three feather on it. It showed off his position. It was a little dressier than he what he preferred to wear, but he would be performing duties as the successor today and he would need to look the part.

  
“Wow.” Izuku said. Katsuki blinked and turned to him to find Izuku staring. He unconsciously straightened his shoulders under the attention. “You look… amazing. Like a prince”

“I’m not a prince. And I always look amazing.” Katsuki said.

“I-” He cut himself off. He bit his lip and pushed his glasses up more on his nose. Katsuki waited patiently. He liked flustering Izuku. He had seen people give him impressed stares when he dressed up, but this was the first time that he had particularly enjoyed the attention. Izuku shifted on his feet. Katsuki could feel the time dripping out.

He snapped, “Say what you want already!”

Izuku stiffened and yelped out in a rush, “Can I wear Atlantean clothes too?!” Katsuki blinked. The other man clarified with embarrassment, “I-I mean, of course I can wear Atlantean clothes. I just mea… Can I wear yours- I, I mean borrow yours? Y-Your casual wear. I want-”

“Oh my Gods, shut up.” Katsuki growled and stalked closer. His voice was less harsh as he said, “You can wear my spare clothes if you wish.” He loved the thought of seeing Izuku dressed like a normal person rather than in the strange clothing that he chose to sport. It seemed all of the surface people wore such heavy outfits. Katsuki felt like he was suffocating just imagining it. 

Izuku’s eyes widened and his smile stretched across his face. Katsuki leaned in to taste it knowing he wouldn’t be pushed away. Izuku cupped Katsuki’s jaw and kissed him back sweetly, sending sparks back into the blaze that was still burning in Katsuki’s loins and heart. His restraint was fraying as his mind tried to convince him that there was enough time. He had a willing body here and Izuku was irresistible. It was as if the Gods themselves had created Izuku just to be Katsuki’s weakness. He wanted to succumb badly, and it infuriated him at his lack of time.

He forced himself away, breaking away with a little more strength than necessary in his frustration. He inhaled air away from Izuku’s body heat and his warm scent and cleared his head once more as he went for his clothing. 

“Katsuki?” Izuku asked, concerned. Katsuki merely waved off his concern and pulled out a simple skirt and a cloth to belt across his chest. He grabbed some jewelry as well to give him, though he wondered if Izuku’s ears were pierced. He turned back to the man.

“Here.”

“How do I…?” He took the clothing and looked over them. To Katsuki it was a simple matter to bind the clothing, but they were completely unfolded as they were. “And about, um, underwear…”

“You _want_ to wear underwear?” Katsuki asked with some scorn.

“...Yes?”

He wanted to ask why, but Izuku already had strange dressing habits. He was a little disgusted at the thought - he personally hated to wear underwear. It was why he preferred to wear skirts because they were much more comfortable - but he took back the clothing. “Strip, then, and I will help you.”

Izuku turned red. “S-Strip? Um…” He glanced down at himself. For once he seemed very shy. Katsuki reveled in it rather than making fun of him.

“I’m in a similar state and it is not as if we don’t both have cocks and balls.” Katsuki said with amusement. 

That only succeeded in making Izuku turn darker as he shot Katsuki both a desperate and exasperated look. “ _Katsuki._ ” 

“You’re how old and you’re still embarrassed by this stuff?” 

“It’s not the subject, it’s the… the bluntness! Are you always so forward?”

Katsuki scoffed. “What is there to hide? You’re a man. I’m a man. We get aroused and we get hard.”

“W-Well, you’re right, but…”

“Are all surface people really so reserved?” It didn’t exactly look good to Katsuki.

Izuku only sighed. “Yes, actually. Can we move on?”

“If you’re done, then yes. Strip.”

Izuku didn’t hesitate this time. His eyes darted up to Katsuki’s and held them almost stubbornly as he stripped of his shirt and his pants. His hands shook a little bit, but Katsuki was almost certain it wasn’t actually from nervousness as he finally pulled off the rest of his clothing to fully expose himself. Katsuki became aware of the fact that this probably wasn’t the best idea when he had been trying to restrain himself. The sight of Izuku’s obvious arousal made Katsuki salivate and his blood boil. He grabbed a new cloth to tie into the undergarment that Izuku was supposed to wear and fell to his knees before him. It wasn’t as if he had really done this to anyone else before. He had to figure out how to do it. He tried to distract himself with it.

“K...Katsuki…” Izuku’s voice was hushed as it called out Katsuki’s name. The man glanced up to see a brand new expression on Izuku’s face. His eyes were dark and his mouth a little bit slack. His hand brushed ever so gently across Katsuki’s cheekbone and skated up to cup the side of his head so Katsuki’s braids dangled between his fingers. A shiver ran down Katsuki’s spine. He could feel the tenuous connection that barely held him from getting closer. But Izuku’s touch had him leaning in just a bit further. “Do you have just a few extra minutes?” His voice was rough. A plea for attention. And it was like a foot to Katsuki’s ass, shoving him and sending him plummeting over the side of the cliff.

“Is a few minutes all you can handle?” Katsuki growled with a hungry grin on his face. His hands founds Izuku’s lightly-furred thighs and slid up around their sides to the backs of them. He cupped the meat there and pulled him closer - close enough to feel the heat of his body on his face. Close enough that Izuku let out a whimper at the proximity. 

“If it’s what I can get, then yes.” Izuku’s fingers stroked over Katsuki’s face, eagerness making the movement a little jerky and more like petting than anything. His breathing was already quickened with anticipation. 

“Now who’s being blunt?” He asked and grabbed Izuku’s cock at it’s base before licking a bold line from hand to head. Izuku’s free hand flew to his mouth to muffle another whimper, hips arching as Katsuki began to pump it in short, quick movements. “I like it.”

“Oh Gods.” Izuku responded as his hand went from petting to gripping, pulling Katsuki closer so his mouth smeared messily across his skin. Katsuki growled and banded his free arm around the backs of Izuku’s thighs before taking him into his mouth. It would be the first he had ever sucked someone’s dick, but Katsuki was nothing if not a fast learner. He took in every sound Izuku made as the man attempted to muffle himself. His thighs trembled in Katsuki’s hold and his hand was tight in his hair. Katsuki swallowed down the liquid in his mouth with a moan of his own, thriving on Izuku’s little noises. This was bliss, he realized. How had he not done something like this before? Izuku had definitely been made for him. His body and mind were for Katsuki.

His ears picked up on a new noise then as Katsuki popped off of Izuku’s cock to nip and lick at the base of it and down to his balls to lavish some attention on them. He glanced upwards to find Izuku’s eyes squeezed shut and his head tilted backwards, wavering a little on his feet from repressing his desire to move his hips so that he could stay standing. He shifted to spread his legs farther for better grounding. Katsuki’s newly freed hand stroked at his thigh and down to his calf before returning up again.

“I’m dreaming. Oh Gods, don’t wake me up please. I’m definitely dreaming. This is too much. Too good-!”

A tick of annoyance went through Katsuki. Izuku really did like to mumble. The words themselves were nice and did absolutely everything to inflate Katsuki’s significantly-sized ego, but he didn’t like some of it. He pulled off of Izuku’s cock once more and bit him hard on the inner thigh, making the man yelp. Their eyes found each others.

“You’re not dreaming. You’re here with _me_. Don’t ever forget that, shit nerd.”

“I could never.” Izuku breathed. Katsuki rewarded that by lathing the bite with gentle kisses and licks.

“Good.”

“Please,” Izuku began as his body trembled with desire. His eyes were completely blown wide with his lust as he grabbed Katsuki’s shoulders and urged him to his feet. Katsuki followed his touch and met him in a desperate, scorching kiss as Izuku’s arms wrapped around his neck. Katsuki hissed at the sensation of Izuku pressing his naked body to him, hefting him up to tackle him back onto the bed. The top of his circlet hit the bed and pushed it crooked. He groped at it and tossed it aside onto the pillows, not caring. He broke the kiss to see his desire lying beneath him, spread out and wrecked and flushed just for him. And he decided that at least this once he could thank the Gods for this meal in front of him.

“Izuku.” Katsuki murmured as he captured him once more in a needy kiss. Izuku’s leg hooked up onto his hip and he pulled his lover down as he grinded up against him. His head flung back and he hurried to take his glasses off and toss them aside once they got far too much in the way, crying out Katsuki’s name. “Shit! Shit, Izuku. Fuck, driving me _crazy-_!” 

“Don’t stop.” Izuku begged, his every panting breath painting Katsuki’s skin with goosebumps as he felt a familiar ache bubble up inside of him with each rut they made against each other. It was a sharper, thicker sensation. Traveling through him like the roaring of a waterfall rather than the slow, languid burn of lava that most of his climaxes took on. If this was what it was like with another person, Katsuki wasn’t sure what wasn’t appealing to other Atlanteans about it. 

Izuku nipped and suckled at Katsuki’s jaw and neck - every piece of skin he could get - as he chased his own climax. His eyes were hazy and lost, a mossy dark green forest gazing at Katsuki in a way he never knew he’d ever wanted. He captured Izuku’s swollen lips once more as the man’s hand scrambled to push under Katsuki’s shirt and vest, only getting it partway up to expose his lower back and stomach. The skin contact was electrifying, making Katsuki groan as he felt the shift of Izuku’s stomach muscles against his own. 

This… Fuck, this was worth it. Being made late or even ruining his clothes was worth it as he finally indulged in Izuku’s presence like this. The heady cloud in his mind felt lifted just a little as their hips ground desperately against each other. Their lips met but could barely stay together long as they breathed each other’s air. Katsuki gritted his teeth and buried his face into Izuku’s neck as he hastily shoved up his skirt to get it out of the way, meeting Izuku’s skin just as the man cried out and stiffened against him. The hot wash of cum made Katsuki shudder and finally his own climax hit him, leaving him breathless as his mouth went lax and his hips jerked. 

They collapsed against each other, air punching out of them as they gasped. Katsuki turned his head to the side before he rolled himself over to lay instead beside Izuku. He rode out the haze of his orgasm, absurdly content and feeling ready to fall back asleep. He dozed for a little bit when Izuku jolted him awake by sitting up abruptly and crying out,

“Oh Gods, your outfit! Katsuki, I’m so-”

“Shut up.” Katsuki slurred a little, arm swiping out to aim for his mouth to stop him from talking. His fingertips only brushed over Izuku’s nose and lips. “‘s fine. I’ll change.”

“You’re sure?” He asked, just to be certain. Katsuki opened his eyes to look over Izuku. His skin was flushed and shiny from sweat. His hair - usually a mess of curls anyway - looked like he had been caught up in a windstorm. Katsuki’s fingers unconsciously rubbed together with the ghost of the soft sensation of the strands there.

“I’m sure.” Now that the lust had died down, Katsuki’s responsibilities were catching up to him. He couldn’t bring himself to care, but he was sure Toshinori would ask why he was late. Katsuki was usually on time for these kinds of things. But this, in Katsuki’s opinion, was important as well in its own way. “Come, let’s wash and dress quickly. I really do need to go now.”

“Right! Yeah, let’s, um, hurry!” Izuku pushed himself off of the bed as Katsuki admired his bare form. He turned back to the other man and a shy smile appeared there. “Are you coming?”

“Yes.” He said, and then he got up to get ready as well feeling calmer than he had in quite possibly decades.


End file.
